Kolkata: Mamata Banerjee on Monday alleged that Union Home minister Amit Shah had orchestrated the recent attacks on TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and other party workers, and asserted that she won't be cowed down by such acts.
Her allegation comes days after Abhishek Banerjee and TMC activists were attacked in separate incidents in Tripura, where the party hopes to expand its base ahead of the 2023 assembly elections.
"The BJP is running an anarchic government in Tripura, Assam, Uttar Pradesh and wherever they are in power. We condemn the attacks on Abhishek and our party activists in Tripura," she said after meeting injured TMC workers at state-run SSKM Hospital here.
"Such attacks would not have been possible without the Union Home minister's active support. He is behind these attacks which were carried out in front of Tripura Police as it remained mute spectators. The Tripura Chief Minister doesn't have the audacity to order such attacks," she said.
Two TMC leaders were injured in an attack allegedly by BJP workers at Ambassa in Tripura's Dhalai district on Saturday.
Referring to the assault, Banerjee said: "The car carrying our youth leaders Debangshu Bhattacharya, Jaya Dutta and Sudip Raha was pelted with stones. The windshield of the vehicle was smashed and even shots were fired, everything in front of the police." "Raha has sustained a serious head injury while Dutta's face has swollen from shrapnel injuries. Still, they were denied medical treatment for 36 hours. They were not even given water to drink. The barbaric regime in Tripura has treated them inhumanly," she said.
The TMC chief alleged that at the behest of the Centre, the BJP government in Tripura had hatched plans to prevent TMC leaders from booking flight tickets.
Terming the BJP a "monstrous party", she asserted that she won't be intimidated by these attacks.
"There were clear instructions to not allow TMC leaders to book flight tickets, or hire aircraft and helicopters. Five seats were booked close to Abhishek's seat in his flight for planting goons. His life is in danger.
"Abhishek's convoy was attacked on August 2 during his visit to Tripura. Had his car not been bullet-proof, his skull would have been fractured. Who knows what would have happened after that," Banerjee said. She also alleged that the BJP had earlier prevented TMC delegations from being beside NRC-affected people in Assam, and from meeting the rape victim's family in Uttar Pradesh's Hathras.
"BJP leaders talk about democracy during their visits to West Bengal but reveal their true colours in the states they rule," she said.
She asserted that the people of West Bengal and Tripura have strong ties and the BJP cannot prevent the TMC from reaching out to the people of the north-eastern state.
Banerjee, who interacted with the two injured TMC leaders and the doctors attending to them, called upon the youth and the students to protest the attack.
Meanwhile, Trinamool Congress MPs staged a demonstration at the Gandhi Statue in Parliament House in New Delhi to protest against the attack on party leaders, including Abhishek, and the partisan attitude of the police. The MPs held placards condemning the Tripura government.
Trinamool leaders and workers staged demonstrations across the state to protest against the attack on party leaders. In Gosaba in South 24-Parganas, party leaders held a demonstration on boats. In East and West Burdwan, party supporters burnt the effigy of Biplab Deb. In Kolkata, rallies were held in Tollygunge against the attack.