It’s Buddha versus Mamata again in Bengal

Former West Bengal chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee Wednesday led a huge protest rally in Jadavpur against the alleged ransacking of a Communist Party of India-Marxist office by Trinamool Congress backed attackers.

Hours before Bhattacharjee’s roadshow, the Trinamool Congress announced that party chief and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee will lead two road rallies in the area Thursday and Saturday.

“To counter the malicious campaign and conspiracies of the CPI-M, we have decided to take out two rallies against this conspiracies and malicious campaign. The rallies will be taken out on March 1 and 3. The rally on March 3 will be led by our leader, Mamata Banerjee,” said state Industries Minister Partha Chatterjee.

Riding an open jeep and accompanied by senior party and Left Front leaders, CPI-M politburo member Bhattacharjee hit the streets at Jadavpur 8B crossing Wednesday evening, covering a 5-km stretch up to Garia.

Jadavpur has been Bhattacharjee’s assembly constituency since 1987. He won five elections from the area before losing to Trinamool candidate and former state chief secretary Manish Gupta last year.

Earlier during the assembly polls, it was a stated policy of the Trinamool that party chief Banerjee will conduct rallies in the same area a day after Bhattacharjee conducts such a programme.