Kolkata: Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday faced protests by people on his way to inaugurate a Kali Puja in South 24-Parganas’ Raidighi area.
Adhikari alleged that attempts were made to attack him twice during the incident.
According to reports, the Nandigram BJP MLA was travelling to Satghara under the Raidighi Assembly Constituency to inaugurate a Kali Puja when his convoy was stopped at South Bishnupur crossing. A group of women holding placards staged a road blockade and surrounded his vehicle.
The placards carried slogans such as “stop atrocities on Bengal’s workers”, “return funds for the poor” and “give 100-day job scheme money”. The protesters accused Adhikari of spreading divisive politics and demanded accountability from him before he engaged in political activities. Adhikari claimed that his car was surrounded and attacked. “It was not my car that was attacked—I was attacked. I was inside the vehicle, that’s why nothing happened to me. They are barbaric,” he said after the incident. “I was stopped twice on the way. They tried to prevent me from performing my religious duties, but they will not succeed,” he added.
Later, after inaugurating the Kali Puja, Adhikari alleged that there was a “life-threatening attack” on him. “I didn’t come here for politics; I came to perform a religious duty. Yet I was attacked. In this state, Hindus are not being allowed to observe their faith freely,” he said. Addressing supporters, Adhikari also alleged that women are unsafe in Bengal and that illegal infiltration has endangered public security in South 24-Parganas.
He urged all communities to unite against such threats and announced that he would return to the area after Jagaddhatri Puja “with the party flag in hand.” Trinamool COngress (TMC) spokesperson Jay Prakash Majumdar claimed common people protested against Adhikari as they were angry with the BJP.
“These poor people have been pushed to the brink because of the deprivation of funds by the BJP-led government at the Centre,” he said.
“They (BJP leaders) should be careful. People across Bengal, in every village, market, and street, are angry. Bengal knows how to protest, and BJP leaders will have to face such demonstrations everywhere,” he added.