Alleging that its party workers were attacked and intimidated, the Trinamool Congress leadership on Friday sent a team to Nandigram and blamed Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Suvendu Adhikari for the violence related to the recent panchayat elections.
The development comes at a time when a BJP fact-finding team led by former Union Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad is visiting West Bengal and meeting party workers affected by the violence.
Trinamool spokesperson Kunal Ghosh and Minister Sashi Panja visited Nandigram and met party supporters who alleged attacks by BJP cadre.
Nandigram is the constituency of Mr. Adhikari and he had defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from the Assembly seat during the 2021 Assembly election after switching to the BJP. The saffron party has performed relatively better in Nandigram in the panchayat elections compared to the rest of the State. The Trinamool leaders asked the police to take action against those responsible for the attacks.
Abhishek targets judiciary
During the day, Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited the State-run SSKM Hospital where injured Trinamool supporters from Nandigram are availing treatment. While blaming Mr. Adhikari and the local BJP leadership for the violence, Mr. Banerjee said it was “unfortunate” that Calcutta High Court had provided protection to Mr. Adhikari.
“Justice Rajasekhar Mantha has given such a judgment that even if Suvendu Adhikari does anything wrong in the future no action can be taken against him. Justice Rajasekhar Mantha has also given protection to accused who are behind the violence. Because of one judge of the High Court the entire judiciary is being maligned. The hands of the administration are being tied,” Mr. Banerjee said while speaking to mediapersons at SSKM hospital. The Trinamool leader said that he was willing to go to prison if a contempt petition was initiated against him. This is not the first time that the leadership of the State’s ruling party had targeted members of judiciary, particularly Justice Mantha. Posters against the judge had come up on premises of the High Court and a contempt petition has been initiated in the matter.
Justice Mantha had directed that no action should be taken against Mr. Adhikari after more than 30 cases were registered against him by the police. The State government had approached the Supreme Court on several matters against Mr. Adhikari but the government could not have its way to prosecute the LoP.
BJP team visits Cooch Behar
Meanwhile, the BJP fact-finding team visited Cooch Behar, one of the districts that has been affected by the violence.
“Is this a sign of democracy? So many people have been killed and rendered homeless in post-poll violence. The misrule of Trinamool has surpassed the misrule and tyranny that was once identified with the erstwhile Left Front regime in the State,” Mr. Prasad said. Earlier, the BJP delegation had visited Sandeshkhali and Basanti in south Bengal.
During the day, Indian Secular Front (ISF) MLA Nawsad Siddique was prevented from entering his constituency Bhangar. Mr. Siddique was stopped by the police on account of prohibitory orders imposed in the area. Six persons had died in poll-related violence at Bhangar in the past one month. Meanwhile, two more deaths were reported on Friday. A BJP candidate from Bishnupur in South 24 Parganas and a Trinamool worker from Murshidabad, who was admitted to a State-run hospital in Kolkata, succumbed to injuries sustained on poll day.
More than 40 people have died in violence related to rural elections in the State. The State government has put the death toll at 19.
