Senior BJP leader Dilip Ghosh has sparked a political storm in West Bengal with his promise of 'Uttar Pradesh-style encounters' if his party comes to power in the state.
Ghosh, a former state unit president of the BJP, alleged that police personnel in Trinamool Congress-ruled West Bengal currently function at the behest of the Mamata Banerjee government and fail to act against criminals.
The BJP leader's remarks have triggered a strong reaction from the TMC, which accused the BJP of endorsing extra-judicial violence.
Ghosh, who represented Kharagpur Sadar segment in the assembly from 2016 to 2019, has again been fielded by the BJP from the constituency.
The BJP has been sharpening its law-and-order pitch in West Bengal ahead of the assembly polls, while the TMC counters by accusing the BJP of trying to import what it calls the 'encounter raj' model from other states.
