‘TMC won’t spare party leaders, including Panchayat, if they misbehave with people’

Addressing a historic and significant rally in Basirhat, North 24-Parganas, which gained recent attention due to the Sandeshkhali incident, Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee stated unequivocally that his party would not tolerate any misconduct from its leaders or Panchayat representatives towards the people. Speaking at the massive ‘Jono Gorjon Sabha’, Abhishek emphasized: “There has been much discussion about Sandeshkhali. No Trinamool leader or Panchayat representatives will be spared if they mistreat anyone. We do not tolerate such behaviour and will take strict action upon receiving complaints.

Sheikh Shahjahan was arrested by the state police under Mamata Banerjee and not ED or CBI. It’s the state police officials who also arrested Sarada scam accused Sudipto Sen.” Alluding to the BJP, he said: “Those who talk about ‘nari samman’ (respect for women) should answer one thing — allegations were raised against Shibu Hazra and Uttam Sardar. It has been 15 days. Why hasn’t the CBI taken them into custody yet? It is only because BJP’s goal is not the safety of women but to mislead people and make attempts to weaken Trinamool’s organisational power”.

He continued: “Since Sheikh Shahjahan’s arrest, no other leaders or groups have visited Sandeshkhali. This indicates that the goal was to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan. However, the accusations of sexual harassment were against Uttam Sardar and Shibu Hazra. Now that I have mentioned it, perhaps they will seek custody of these two leaders in the coming days.” Banerjee affirmed that his party didn’t spare its leaders and state even Cabinet ministers Partha Chatterjee and Jyoti Priya Mullick, who were dismissed from their ministerial roles.

“No other party but TMC has taken action in such cases. CPI(M) ruled for 34 years. Did they take action against their leaders? BJP governs around 17 states – have they taken action against their leaders anywhere?” he highlighted.

He pointed out: “BJP did not take action against its MP Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, accused of molestation by female wrestlers. Former Karnataka CM BS Yediyurappa faced allegations in a POCSO case. Has BJP expelled him from the party or initiated any action? Has the ED-CBI taken any action? They only acted against Kuldeep Sengar, accused in the Unnao case, after court orders.”

Addressing the gathering, he stated: “Enough politics has been played around this Lok Sabha constituency surrounding Sandeshkhali. The upcoming election is not just about securing victory for TMC but about holding accountable those who deprived Bengal after being in power for 10 years. I ask those who promised ‘Acche Din’ – where is your report card?” Banerjee alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi lied during his recent Bengal visits. “He (PM) claimed that the Centre disbursed Rs 45,000 crore under Awas Yojana. It’s astonishing to see the PM of a country making such blatant lies.

I challenge the BJP to provide documents or a white paper proving that the BJP-led Central government released even 10 paise to Bengal under Awas Yojana or MGNREGA after the 2021 Assembly elections. If they produce such evidence, I will quit politics,” Banerjee stated.

Comparing the promises of the Chief Minister of Bengal with that of the PM, he mentioned: “Mamata Banerjee promised Lakshmir Bhandar for one member of each family, but after the elections, we made it a universal scheme. Moreover, from April 1 onwards, women will receive Rs 12,000 per year, while SC/ST women will receive Rs 14,400 per year.” He also highlighted the state government’s efforts to clear the MGNREGA dues of the 100-days workers.