Congress raises violence against its leaders in Tripura with EC, seeks probe

Accusing the BJP of unleashing "organised political violence" in the last eight years, the Congress on Wednesday took up with the Election Commission the issue of post-bypoll violence allegedly by the saffron party members in Tripura and demanded an independent probe into it.


A Congress delegation led by Salman Khurshid, AICC in-charge of Tripura Ajoy Kumar, Pawan Khera and Mohammed Khan met the Chief Election Commissioner to apprise the Commission about the current political violence.

Addressing a media briefing at the AICC headquarters here, Kumar alleged that when faced with electoral defeat, the default mode of the BJP is violence and the living example of it was in Tripura.

It is in the BJP's DNA to attack political opponents, he said, adding that the party should be renamed "Bharat Jalao Party or Bharatiya Gunda Party".

"Our office in Tripura has been attacked thrice. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are silent, there can be only two reasons for it, either they are afraid to talk about it or it is happening at their behest," Kumar said.

"Unprecedented political violence has been perpetrated by the BJP in the last eight years. It should be termed Bharat Jalao Party or Bharatiya Gunda Party because the manner in which they are attacking their political opponents is concerning," he said.

The Congress delegation sought an independent probe by the EC into the recent post-poll violence. It also requested the poll panel to seek a report on FIRs not being registered where violence had taken place.

The Congress on Sunday alleged that its leaders and workers were attacked by "BJP goons" following the opposition party's win in the Agartala assembly bypoll and demanded that those guilty be brought to justice.

At least 19 people, including Tripura PCC chief Birajit Sinha, were injured in a clash between Congress and BJP supporters in front of the Congress Bhavan in Agartala after the results of the by-elections to the four Assembly seats in the state were declared. Police fired tear gas to disperse the mob. The BJP won three seats and the Congress one.

The opposition party had sent a three-member delegation comprising MPs Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, Gaurav Gogoi and Naseer Hussain to Tripura to take stock of the situation and prepare a report over the "attack".