A group of expelled BJP leaders in Raiganj performed “dandi,” usually an act of atonement in which one moves intermittently lying prostrate, demanding that the BJP and all other political parties field local people as candidates in the Raiganj seat in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

The move is being seen as an attempt to drive home their point that they are disappointed with Debasree Chaudhuri, the BJP MP of Raiganj.

Around 200 BJP supporters, led by Biswajit Lahiri, a former district president of the BJP and Bina Jha, a former leader of the party’s Mahila Morcha, assembled at Ghori More, a prominent crossing in the town.

Lahiri and Jha, along with some others, launched the “dandi” yatra as the supporters cleaned the street with brooms. They covered a distance of around 2km from Ghori More to Bidrohi More while performing “dandi.”

The event was organised under the banner of Nagarik Mancha (a citizens’ forum).

“We want the BJP and all other political parties to field sons or daughters of the soil in the Raiganj Lok Sabha seat. This would expedite the development of the town and the North Dinajpur district as a whole,” said Lahiri.

Manash Ghosh, a district vice-president of the BJP, was brief in his reaction. “We support their demand but it has no connection with Debasree Chaudhuri. She is very much a local person and has done a lot for the development of the district as the Raiganj MP.”

The MP said she was ignoring the so-called yatra. “People might have demands before political parties ahead of elections. But today, these people resorted to theatrics to gain some mileage,” Chaudhuri said over the phone.

The ousted BJP leaders organised the “dandi” yatra within 48 hours of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s visit to the district. “The BJP MP has completely failed to get funds from the Centre for the development of the district. Her performance is so miserable that even her former colleagues are against her,” said a district Trinamul Congress leader.