The Bengal BJP has lined up a political programme in Cooch Behar on August 5 in protest against the alleged attacks on some of its MLAs, prompting the ruling Trinamool Congress dispensation to line up its events protesting incidents of the BJP’s alleged Bengali-phobia and torture of Bengali-speaking migrants.

On July 21, leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari had announced the August 5 programme.

“On August 5, 65 BJP MLAs will reach Cooch Behar to submit a memorandum to the superintendent of police in protest of the attacks on our MLAs in the district. We will meet the secretary at Uttarkanya on the same day,” Adhikari had said.

On July 23, a letter from his side reached the district police in Cooch Behar, seeking permission for the programme.

The police, however, refused the BJP permission, saying that the superintendent of police would not be available on that date and that the gathering of so many MLAs would lead to security issues and traffic congestion.

The denial prompted Bishal Lama, the BJP MLA of Kalchini in the neighbouring Alipurduar district, to file a petition at Calcutta High Court.

The court on Saturday passed an order that Lama, along with Adhikari and three other MLAs, could visit the SP’s office to submit the memorandum. The SP was also instructed to remain present in his office.

“The court has granted permission, and our party will act accordingly. We want to submit the memorandum as in recent months, at least three MLAs of our party have been attacked by Trinamool workers,” said a senior BJP MLA based in Cooch Behar.

With the saffron camp gearing up for the event, the Cooch Behar district Trinamool has planned protests across the district on the same day against the BJP’s foreigners’ tribunal in Assam issuing notices to several Cooch Behar residents, seeking proof of
Indian citizenship.

Abhijit De Bhowmik, the district Trinamool president, said that on August 5, they would hold protests in 19 different locations of the district.

“Our programme has been planned in protest of the recent highhandedness of the BJP government of Assam by serving notices to residents of our district and asking them to prove their citizenship. Our leaders will also voice their protests over the recent attacks on the Bengali-speaking migrant workers by the police in several BJP-ruled states,” he said.

The Trinamool leader said they had sought permission for the protests from
the police.

“If the police do not permit us, we might also think of approaching the court. However, we will have our event on the same day as the BJP. If the BJP defers its programme, we will also defer ours,” De Bhowmik added.

As the 2026 Assembly elections approach, Trinamool is not alone in wanting its events to coincide with those of the BJP.

On July 21, when Trinamool hosts its mega Martyrs’ Day rally in the heart of Calcutta, the BJP planned an event in Siliguri.

The Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha — the BJP’s youth wing — organised the Uttarkanya Chalo or a march to Uttarkanya, the branch secretariat of the state located in the southern outskirts of Siliguri. Adhikari led that march.

Although north Bengal is largely a BJP stronghold, in recent elections, Trinamool has shown it has a support base in Cooch Behar district.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, Cooch Behar Trinamool candidate Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia defeated the BJP’s sitting MP, Nisith Pramanik, by a margin of 39,250 votes.

In Cooch Behar district’s Assembly segments of Sitai and Dinhata, Trinamool candidates Sangita Roy and Udayan Guha won by-elections, defeating the
BJP candidates.