Kolkata, March 11 – The West Bengal unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is anticipating a record turnout at the party's mega rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in central Kolkata on March 14, which will be addressed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Preparations are already in full swing at the Brigade Parade Ground to erect multiple stages for the rally, which will also mark the culmination of the BJP's Parivartan Yatra across the state, which began earlier this month ahead of the crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal, scheduled later this year.
According to BJP's state vice-president in West Bengal, Raju Banerjee, who is supervising the preparations for the rally, organizational arrangements are progressing rapidly, and the party expects people from all corners of the state to attend the event and listen to the Prime Minister.
However, he refused to disclose the exact number of stages that will be erected for the rally.
"We cannot disclose how many stages will be set up for the Prime Minister's rally or how many stages will be around the venue because, as per protocol, we are not allowed to reveal these details. But the preparations for the rally are progressing very well," Banerjee told media persons on Wednesday.
He also claimed that the law and order situation in West Bengal had completely collapsed.
"Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has no respect for the Indian Constitution. She does not follow the Constitution or the rule of law. Hence, she always makes tall claims," he said.
He also expressed pleasure over the appointment of former Intelligence Bureau (IB) chief and former Tamil Nadu Governor R.N. Ravi as the new Governor of West Bengal.
"We welcome the new Governor. I will request him, as an ordinary citizen, to come here and restore the constitutional and legal order in West Bengal," Banerjee said.
He also criticised the Chief Minister for allegedly turning the issue of an increase in cooking gas prices into a political matter.
"If the Chief Minister is worried about the interests of the common people because of the increase in LPG prices, why is she not ordering a waiver of state tax on it? She should answer why the price of electricity is exorbitantly high in West Bengal. She should think about her own responsibilities before criticising others," Banerjee said.