'Aware of defeat in KMC polls, BJP staging stir at Singur to divert people's attention'

KOLKATA: Recollecting how the BJP-led Central government's contentious farm laws claimed lives of nearly 700 farmers during year-long agitation, Trinamool Congress (TMC) vehemently criticised the saffron camp's dharna at Singur on Tuesday claiming it to be an attempt to distract people's attention amid fear of defeat in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) elections.

When the civic polls in Kolkata are at the threshold on December 19, BJP's state level leaders went to Singur on Tuesday to hold a three-day long sit-in-demonstration for various demands for farmers. However, former Singur MLA Rabindranath Bhattacharya—who had joined the saffron party ahead of the state Assembly polls—was missing from the scene. Controversy cropped up as Bhattacharya didn't receive any invitation to attend the "dharna".

Reacting to the BJP's sit-in-demonstration, senior Trinamool Congress leader and the party's candidate from ward 82 in Chetla, Firhad Hakim, said: "They are well aware of their defeat in the KMC elections. So, they are staging all these dramas just to divert the attention of people. They had taken our "mastermasai" (Rabindranath Bhattacharya) ahead of the Assembly polls. But, they couldn't win the election. It proves that the people of Singur are with no one apart from Trinamool Congress. Basically, BJP does politics on the basis of assumptions and we take steps based on ground reality."

Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's fight had helped farmers get back their lands when the same was "forcefully acquired" by the erstwhile Left Front government for Tata's small car factory.

Slamming Suvendu Adhikari, TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said: "Today all of a sudden, he started realizing that the policies of Mamata Banerjee were wrong. Then why did he build his political career by being in Trinamool Congress and sharing dais with the party chairperson since 2005?"

Calling Suvendu as "Pegasus Adhikari", Ghosh said: "Their party leaders including Tathagata Roy and Rupa Ganguly had raised allegations of "dealing of cash and women" in their party.

"It does not suit the party, whose Prime Minister sought apologies from people for introducing contentious farm laws," he added.