Agartala, July 13: Hours after the Left Front called for a 12-hour Tripura bandh on Sunday following death of a comrade in 'political violence', the state unit of Bharatiya Janata Party strongly opposed the move.

The Left Front alleged that the party's candidate for upcoming Panchayat polls and CPM Belonia divisional committee member Badah Shil camed under alleged attack of BJP-backed miscreants while he was returning after filing nomination on July 11 last.
Shil, who had filed nomination as a CPM candidate for South Tripura Zilla Parishad’s seat no-4, was seriously injured in the attack and hospitalized soon after the incident, according to Left Front state committee convenor Narayan Kar.
The comrade succumbed to his injuries during treatment in the hospital on Saturday.
Addressing a press conference, the Left Front state convenor said it was a pre-planned murder and called a 12-hour Tripura bandh on Sunday in protest against the 'political violence'.
On the other hand, the BJP state unit slammed the Left Front for its ‘politics of violence and murder’ and opposed the bandh.
BJP spokesperson Nabendu Bhattacharjee said, police will investigate the death of Badal Shil and take appropriate action.
Criticizing the CPM, he said, attempts are being made to create unrest in various places ahead of the Panchayat polls. He said, the Karyakartas will remain vigilant against any such efforts to incite violence.
He also commented, "the BJP is confident victory in the upcoming Panchayat elections."
Meanwhile, Tipra Motha Party founder Pradyot Kishore Debabrma neither supported the bandh call nor denied it. He just made an appeal to CPI-M to shift the bandh to another date since Sunday is the opening day of traditional Kharchi Puja.
"Got the news that CPIM has called for a state-wide bandh tomorrow. While we also condemn any form of political violence, the decision to call a bandh on the day of a TIPRASA festival can’t be justified. Kharchi Puja is our heritage and tradition and is also a state holiday. I ask my friends in CPIM if they would have done the same had it been a non-Tiprasa festival or holiday? I hope they will reconsider their decision and hold the bandh some other day," he wrote on social media on Saturday.