Trinamool workers to hold silent rally today in protest against 'attack' on Mamata
Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers will hold silent rallies across the state on Friday to protest against the attack on party chairperson Mamata Banerjee at Nandigram. Partha Chatterjee, party's secretary-general said on Thursday.
Chatterjee's annoucement came a few hours after he led a party delegation to the state CEO (Chief Electoral Officer) raising questions over the impartiality of the Election Commission (EC) and terming the attack on Banerjee as a 'deep rooted conspiracy to take her life'.
Chatterjee called for an immediate investigation in the matter and bring to book those involved in the 'heinous' incident. He reiterated that a TMC delegation comprising party's MPs Saugata Roy, Derek O' Brien, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Pratima Mondol and Santanu Sen would meet the officials of Election Commission of India in New Delhi and submit a protest letter.
"When the Election Commission of India (ECI) has taken over the law and order machinery in the state in the name of conducting elections, appropriated the whole governance structure, summarily removed and replaced the Director General of Police without any consultation with the state government, at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the person of the stature of CM and a candidate from Nandigram, West Bengal who is a Z-plus protectee is threatened," the complaint letter read.
Chatterjee expressed his dismay as neither the Superintendent of Police nor the local police was present to give her security cover. Only her personal security officers were with her when the attack took place.
Party MP Derek O Brien who accompanied Chatterjee referred to certain posts made in social media by some BJP leaders soon after the removal of DG Virendra on March 9. "On March 9, the Election Commission changed the DGP. On March 10, a BJP MP posted on social media —'aap samajh jayenge, 5 pm ke baad kya hone wala hai' (you will understand, what will happen after 5 pm) and it happened to Mamata Didi at 6 pm. We condemn these incidents and behaviour, and want the truth to prevail," he added. .
Later in the day addressing a press conference Chatterjee said the party workers and sympathisers would wear black badges as a mark of protest.
Saugata Roy said it was unfortunate that neither Prime Minister Narendra Modi nor Home minister Amit Shah had made a courtesy call to her and inquired about her health.
Chatterjee said a section of the media was trying to show that the incident at Birulia off Nandigram on Thursday took place when the vehicle whose door beside the driver's seat was open and it hit an iron pillar when the vehicle
started moving.
Banerjee who was sitting there could not keep her balance and fell down just to playdown the incident deliberately to confuse people.
