Kolkata, March 10 (NationPress) Tensions flared between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Siliguri, located in north Bengal, on Monday night, just hours before the BJP's Parivartan Yatra is set to commence in the area on Tuesday.

The confrontation arose between Arun Ghosh, the president of the Siliguri Sub-Divisional Council and a leader from the TMC, and Anandamay Barman, the BJP's MLA from the Matigara-Naxalbari Assembly constituency, concerning the preparations near the event venue for the BJP.

What began as a disagreement over the installation of party flags evolved into a political debate surrounding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls and regional development initiatives.

Authorities from the Naxalbari police station intervened after reports of the altercation, managing to restore order. However, given the ongoing tensions, central forces conducted a route march, and police pickets were established to deter further disturbances.

The BJP's Parivartan Yatra is slated to kick off in Siliguri on Tuesday, proceeding to Naxalbari by afternoon via the Siliguri-Matigara route. Key figures such as Rupa Gangopadhyay, leader of the BJP's Mahila Morcha, Raju Bista, MP from Darjeeling, Jayanta Roy, MP from Jalpaiguri, along with several MLAs and local BJP leaders will be in attendance. Additionally, a meeting is planned at the Naxalbari bus stand.

In anticipation of the meeting, BJP supporters began putting up flags in the bus stand area on Monday night. Anandamay Barman inspected the arrangements, while TMC's Arun Ghosh, who resides nearby, noted that a TMC meeting is also scheduled for the same location in two days. Consequently, TMC workers began erecting their own party flags, leading to a clash.

Barman accused TMC members of attempting to remove the BJP flags to replace them with the ruling party's insignia, a claim that Arun Ghosh disputed.

"The BJP has failed to deliver any development in the region. All progress is credited to Mamata Banerjee. If you ask the locals, they will unanimously agree. Following the SIR, numerous names have been struck from the voter list. This time, people will not endorse the BJP," Ghosh asserted.

In response, Barman stated, "The true verdict will be revealed when the Hindu votes are tallied post-Assembly elections. First, show us how you will secure victory here."

On Tuesday morning, Anandamay Barman remarked, "The TMC is scheming to disrupt our meeting. They are intimidated by the community's reaction to our gathering and the Parivartan Yatra, which is why they are instigating conflicts here."

Arun Ghosh refuted this accusation, claiming, "They have accomplished nothing in this area despite having an MLA. Voter names are being eliminated under the SIR. No members of our party have removed BJP flags. We were merely placing our own, as we also have a meeting scheduled in a few days."