Nadda's convoy attack: Drama to divert attention, says Mamata; orders probe
Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ordered a thorough probe into the incident of the attack in the convoy of BJP national president J P Nadda on his way to a programme at Diamond Harbour in South 24-Parganas on Thursday.
She also raised her suspicion stating that the incident was pre-planned for the sake of publicity to distract attention and cover up the poor turnout of supporters at their Diamond Harbour rally.
"I have ordered an inquiry into the incident as the truth behind it must come out. Their (BJP's) leaders keep visiting here as they do not work for people and create pre-planned violence to show that they are being beaten up to gain the attention of the national media. We welcome everyone in our state as I respect the Opposition more than Trinamool Congress and assure all support. But they interfere in the law and order situation which is a state subject. They bring their own security personnel for their protection. I have ordered an inquiry into it and we will not accept untrue statements always," Banerjee said while addressing the protest rally against farm laws at the Gandhi Statue on Mayo Road.
Trinamool Congress criticised the BJP national president for not paying heed of taking care of an auto-rickshaw driver who was "gravely injured" after being hit by his car on Thursday. "Today @JPNadda's speeding car on its way to Diamond Harbour, collided into an auto, damaging it & gravely injuring the driver. Instead of helping the driver, @BJP4India Chief fled to stage an attack for political gain. He was saved by 'Ma Durga', just not in the way he claims," Trinamool Congress tweeted.
"They act to be over smart. I would like to ask how come so fast the video was shot. It appears to be a pre-planned one to gain popularity. There were 50 cars in the convoy and one of the tail cars seems to have met with an accident there," Banerjee said, ruling out the involvement of any of her party workers in the incident as TMC's programme at Sirakol was called off.
BJP president J P Nadda's convoy was allegedly attacked on Wednesday, provoking an angry assault by the saffron party leader who alleged the state has slipped into "complete lawlessness and goonda raj".
He later told the media in the evening that eight of their party workers were injured in the incident.
The state police said in a tweet: "Shri JP Nadda, National President, BJP reached safely at the venue, Diamond Harbour, South 24 Pgs. Nothing happened to his convoy. Few bystanders at Debipur, Falta PS, Diamond Harbour PD, sporadically and suddenly threw stones towards vehicles trailing long behind his convoy. Everyone is safe and situation is peaceful. Matter is being investigated to find out actual happenings".
Condemning the incident, Union Home minister Amit Shah tweeted stating that the Centre is taking it to be a very serious matter. "Today, the National President of BJP in Bengal @JPNadda was attacked. The attack is condemnable. The central government is taking this attack very seriously. The Bengal government will have to answer to the peace loving people of the state for this sponsored violence," he wrote on Twitter. The Centre has also sought a report in this connection from the state.
Replying to this, Banerjee said the law and order situation in Bengal has improved in the past nine years compared to that of the erstwhile Left Front regime while the police refuse to lodge FIRs in the BJP-run states. The number of political murders has dropped at 153 between June 2011 and 2019 compared to that of 663 in the state from 2001 to May 2011. Again, rape and crimes against women in 2012 were 2,046 that came down to 1,068 in 2019.
Coming down heavily on BJP, she also stated as to how BJP workers gheraoed the flat where she stays during her visit to Delhi. Without naming anyone, she said when a leader was in Trinamool Congress he was tagged with Sarada and Narada scam. The person turns into an asset of the party soon after joining BJP.
Meanwhile, veteran Trinamool Congress leader Subrata Mukherjee held BJP responsible for creating trouble in different areas in Bengal.
He further said: "They are killing their own supporters to tarnish the image of the government. I will not be surprised if their party workers had thrown stones at the convoy today just to defame the Bengal government."
Mukherjee, who was addressing a press conference at the Trinamool Bhavan, alleged that BJP was creating trouble just to get cheap publicity.
"On Wednesday, he had gone to the place situated near the Chief Minister's residence and tried to instigate people. They are trying to provoke people to get publicity," he said, adding "when we were in the Opposition, we never tried to create trouble in the areas situated close to the residences of Jyoti Basu or Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee."
He also alleged that on the day when Trinamool Congress published the report card containing the projects which have caused massive development in the past 10 years, BJP conspired to create trouble "just to divert the attention of the people."
