Kolkata: Lashing out at the “double-engine” government in Tripura for supporting violence over the BJP’s alleged attack on a Trinamool Congress (TMC) party office at Agartala, Bengal Chief Minister and the party supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday expressed her outrage after her party’s MLA’s, MPs were stopped from leaving Agartala airport.
Political tensions flared between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the ruling BJP in Tripura after a delegation from TMC visited Agartala on Wednesday, a day after their party office was ransacked. A 5-member delegation alleged that they were not allowed to leave the airport initially. The delegation sat on dharna at the airport alleging that the vehicles they arranged to pick them up had been threatened not to drop them off.
“I will go to Tripura and see who dares to stop me,” Banerjee asserted while speaking to the media at Kolkata airport on her way back from North Bengal. She further added: “The Trinamool party office in Tripura has been vandalised. Our ministers, MLAs and MPs were stopped. They were not even allowed to take prepaid taxis or bikes. I told them to walk if they have to.”
Accusing the BJP-led government of fostering unrest, the Chief Minister said: “Abhishek’s car was vandalised earlier in Tripura. Dola Sen and Sushmita Dev’s vehicles were also attacked. Where was the double engine then? First fix your own house before preaching.”
Banerjee also attacked the Union home minister Amit Shah over the push for the special intensive revision (SIR) of the electoral rolls in Bengal. Bengal Assembly polls are scheduled for the summer of 2026.
“Bhayanak government ka bhayanak acharan (Horrible behaviour of a horrible government). I have seen so many governments, not one was so arrogant and dictatorial. Their leader comes here and says we will exclude so many lakh voters from Bengal,” Mamata said. “Tell me, amidst natural calamity, rainy season, how can the SIR process be completed in 15 days?”
“Is the commission (Election Commission) for the BJP or for the protection of democratic, civic rights of the people?” Banerjee asked. Banerjee cautioned Prime Minister Narendra Modi against his most trusted lieutenant and the country’s Union home minister Amit Shah.
“This is all Amit Shah’s game. He behaves like he is the acting prime minister of the country. The PM knows everything. I am sorry to say so. We can only request him (Modi). Don’t trust Amit Shah so much. Ek din wo aap ka Mir Jafar ban jaayega (One day he will be your Mir Jafar),” Banerjee said.
Referring to the communal violence in Odisha’s Cuttack, Banerjee said: “Cuttack is burning. Communal riots have been instigated by the BJP and the Bajrang Dal.”