‘After Sagardighi bypolls, BJP got oxygen to create violence during Ram Navami’

Kolkata: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday attacked the Opposition leader in the Assembly Suvendu Adhikari for his “inhuman and insensitive” behaviour as he did not stop after his convoy hit a man who eventually died.

Addressing the gathering at Raninagar in Murshidabad, Banerjee also assured TMC would never allow NRC exercise to take place in Bengal, while also speaking about the Sagardighi bypoll results and how Congress candidate Bayron Biswas still remained in the good books of BJP leaders.

He stated that “electing Congress candidate Bayron Biswas had given oxygen to the BJP”.

“After the bypoll results, BJP got oxygen and started violence and unrest in the name of Ram Navami processions,” he said.

Banerjee also mentioned the photograph of Bayron Biswas hobnobbing with BJP leaders. “If TMC had won Sagardighi, BJP wouldn’t have the power to create unrest during Ram Navami,” he added.

Stating that Suvendu was ‘inhuman and shameless’, Banerjee said: “How shameless one person can become when he flees after his convoy hits a person. This happens only when the person becomes arrogant. It was his duty to stop and ensure that the injured victims could have been rushed to the hospital. Instead of getting down from the car, Adhikari chose to flee from the spot and the convoy rushed away at a speed of 100 kmph. If such an Opposition leader and his party comes in power what will happen to the people of Bengal? Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had been in the Opposition for a long time. Did any such incident ever happen?” Banerjee asked.

Meanwhile, TMC leaders Shashi Panja and Kunal Ghosh during a press conference at Trinamool Bhawan condemned the incident and demanded the arrest of Adhikari on moral grounds.

“A person, an MLA whose job is to legislate laws, has himself broken laws. What an insensible person Adhikari was as he fled from the spot after the incident. If they took the victim to the hospital immediately, his life could have been saved. Following the instruction of the Chief Minister, senior members from our party met the family and assured all assistance.”

Panja also recalled the incident in which 3 women were killed in a stampede in Asansol during a blanket distribution ceremony immediately after Adhikari had left. Abhishek once again attacked the BJP-led Centre for not clearing the state’s dues. “Centre has withheld Rs 7,500 crore dues under the 100 days work.

The Modi government has been in power for 9 years but not a single development has taken place in Murshidabad while the Mamata Banerjee government has carried out a host of projects in the past 12 years. Let BJP come with their report card. We will also produce our report cards. We will win by a 10-0 goal,” Banerjee said.

Slamming Congress and CPI(M), he said their leaders never spoke against BJP. It is TMC that fights against BJP. “Did Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury take up the development issues with the Centre? Did he ever ask the Centre to clear the state’s dues?” Banerjee asked.