Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition, had to call off his rally on Wednesday in the constituency of Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee because of violent resistance put up by Trinamool Congress supporters.

Adhikari, along with several BJP MLAs, assembled in the South 24-Parganas headquarters of Baruipur in the afternoon to protest against the Speaker’s allegedly undemocratic behaviour in the House. Baruipur Paschim is the Speaker’s constituency.

“The BJP’s march was scheduled to proceed from Raas ground to the district police chief’s office. Thousands of Trinamool workers stood prepared to confront the BJP’s plan. They were holding black flags and raised ‘go back’ slogans. Adhikari’s presence aggravated the situation,” said a source.

The Trinamool supporters hurled abuses and pelted the BJP gathering with stones. Clashes broke out between BJP and Trinamool workers. No one was seriously injured and the police managed to defuse the situation.

Adhikari told journalists later that he had been “viciously abused” — verbally — by the Trinamool supporters and subjected to stone-pelting and throwing of water laced with chilli powder.

“They also hit my car (with sticks) at least 30 times. Had I not been inside the car, my head would have been smashed…. They thought we would turn back, but we are not afraid of anyone,” the BJP leader said.

To counter the BJP’s rally, Trinamool had organised protests in the Puratan Bazar and Shivani Peeth areas of Baruipur ahead of Adhikari’s visit.

Major police presence was ensured to prevent untoward incidents. However, the BJP accused the police of siding with Trinamool.

Adhikari announced that BJP MLAs would gherao the district police chief’s office in Baruipur on March 27.

“I will speak on March 27. I don’t want BJP workers to suffer more or bleed. They have suffered a lot. The cops in Bengal won’t protect them,” he claimed.

The Nandigram MLA also tried to draw the Election Commission of India’s attention to the state of affairs in Bengal.

“Hope the EC is watching… I will do whatever is needed,” said Adhikari.

“The Election Commission should take note. Without imposing President’s rule, holding elections in Bengal is impossible,” said the leader of the Opposition.

Several BJP leaders this newspaper spoke to declined comments, saying Adhikari didn’t merit a reply.

Avowedly secular and pluralist for over two decades as Mamata Banerjee’s protege in Trinamool, Adhikari has been increasingly vitriolic in his newfound fondness for communalism since switching sides in December 2020, more so since the BJP — despite yet another campaign of lofty, chest-thumping claims — was dashed to a dozen of the 42 Lok Sabha seats here.

Several cliques in the BJP leadership from their bitterly divided Bengal unit have admitted in private to discomfit over the leader of the Opposition’s verbal vitriol against Muslims, who form a third of the population in this essentially pluralist, inclusive state where saffron politics of the bovine belt variety keeps failing spectacularly.

However, being a predominantly Hindu supremacist party that uses vilification and othering of Muslims as a political tool, there are sections firmly in favour of Adhikari’s increasingly radical bigotry.

Nod for BJP rally

Justice Tirthankar Ghosh of Calcutta High Court on Wednesday allowed the BJP to hold a rally in Tamluk between 1pm and 2.30pm on Thursday to protest against an alleged attack on some people on March 14.

The march with no more than 1,000 people will start from Municipality Ground and end at the Hospital crossing. Slogans will not be allowed within a 50-metre radius of any school. Adhikari is expected to lead the rally.