Kolkata: Hours after Malda North BJP MP Khagen Murmu and Siliguri BJP MLA Sankar Ghosh were injured in an alleged mob attack during a visit to flood-hit areas of North Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) condemned the attack and also stated that it was BJP who is to be blamed for what happened in North Bengal.
Several senior Trinamool Congress leaders on Monday said that public outrage was triggered due to BJP’s own wrong doing. They pointed out that when people are affected badly, the BJP leaders with a convoy of more than 10 cars went only for “photo-ops” and without any relief materials. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also appealed for restraint and unity, urging people not to indulge in “any untoward incident” amid the ongoing crisis.
Slamming the BJP, senior Trinamool Congress leader from Udayan Guha said: “First of all, we do not support any form of violence. Second, whatever happened today is BJP’s own doing. At a time people were affected badly, BJP leaders with a convoy of over 10 cars went only for photo-ops and without any relief materials.”
“Local people got agitated and started the attack. It is the result of BJP’s misdeeds. You deprive people first and later visit there for photo-ops when they are suffering,” Guha added.
Trinamool Congress’ IT cell chief Debangshu Bhattacharya said: “We do not support violence but one must understand that people of North Bengal voted for BJP time and again but what they received in return was betrayal from Modi and BJP. What happened today was complete outrage of the common people because all BJP did to them was betrayal and even in these tough times BJP leaders went today for photo optics and not to provide any relief materials to the affected ones.”
Bhattacharya further added: “Unlike BJP’s social media leaders, our leaders Birbaha Hansda, Prakash Chik Baraik and Suman Kanjilal visited the flood-affected areas of Madarihat and the Holong Bridge, submerged by the unprecedented deluge, assessing the damage and ensuring immediate relief.”
Trinamool Congress workers have been on ground constantly and helping people round the clock unlike BJP’s social media warriors. Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said: “What happened to BJP leaders in North Bengal was just the consequences of the saffron party’s wrong doings for over a long time. People were unhappy with the BJP and the situation turned worse when their leaders reached the spot for a photo shoot.”
BJP’s Information Technology Cell Chief and party’s central observer for Bengal, Amit Malviya, on Monday, launched an attack on Trinamool Congress and the Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the attack on his party leaders and claimed that Trinamool Congress has established a “jungle raj” in the state.