The BJP and Congress have extended support to the Left’s call for a statewide bandh on Friday from 6 a.m. to 12 noon to protest against violence before panchayat elections and not allowing the Opposition candidates to file nominations.

Addressing a Press conference at CPI-M headquarters, Left Front chairman Biman Bose on Thursday said that Left Front will observe six-hour bandh on Friday.

“On Thursday the direction of the Calcutta High Court proved that our claim regarding the violence was right. Attacks are being organised across the state to oust the Opposition. False cases are being slapped on our innocent party workers to terrorise them,” he said.

BJP leader and party’s state panchayat convener Mukul Roy said that they are supporting the bandh to protest against “destructive politics” of Trinamul supremo Mamata Banerjee for ensuring Opposition-free panchayat by not allowing the candidates of other political parties to file nomination papers. The Congress has also extended support to the bandh.

CPI-M state secretary Surjya Kanta Mishra in a statement said that people witnessed a massive violence for past few days over filing of nomination papers and so bandh is an obvious choice.

“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee should first try to control her party. Her party supporters are being killed in inter-party rivalry. People must take to the streets to protest against oppressive policies of the present government,” Mr Mishra said in the statement.

State BJP leaders also criticised the state government over the recent violence during filing of nominations for the next month’s panchayat polls.

The BJP also observed a fast near Gandhi statue to protest against the violence. The sit-in demonstration, led by BJP’s national general secretary and state in-charge Kailash Vijayvargiya, was organised by the party unit at Mayo Road area in the central part of the city.

Union minister Babul Supriyo, BJP MP Roopa Ganguly, state BJP president Dilip Ghosh, senior BJP leader Mukul Roy and BJP national secretary Rahul Sinha were among those who joined the demonstration on Thursday.

The leaders also protested against the recent Parliament washout. “Thursday’s programme was part of our nationwide campaign against the destructive politics of the Opposition parties. We decided to include the issue of panchayat polls in Thursday’s programme as democratic rights are being throttled in Bengal,” Mr Sinha said.

“The ruling TMC has tried to turn the panchayat polls into a farce by not allowing the Opposition candidates to file nominations. The High Court ruling is a triumph of democracy over dictatorship,” Mr Vijayvargiya said.

State BJP panchayat convenor Mukul Roy said the court order is a “victory for the masses of Bengal”. “The Opposition parties have resorted to dirty tricks of disrupting the Parliament and spreading canards against the ruling BJP. They are against the development policies of the Narendra Modi government,” Vijayvargiya said.