Suvendu Adhikari Attacked: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and West Bengal Assembly LoP, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday sat on a dharna inside the Chandrakona Police Station, in the Paschim Medinipur district, following an alleged attack by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers during his return from Purulia.
Adhikari alleged that he had been attacked by some TMC workers when he was returning from Purulia to Paschim Medinipur.
"Tonight, approximately around 8:20 PM, while I was returning from Purulia, at Chandrakona Road, Paschim Medinipur district, I was viciously attacked by TMC goons. These cowards, emboldened by the Mamata Banerjee regime's culture of violence and impunity, attacked me right in the presence of the Mamata Police," he said, while staging a protest at the police station.
The very guardians of law stood by like mute spectators, the BJP leader said, adding that this is not just an attack on me; it's an assault on every voice of opposition in West Bengal.
"The TMC's desperation is showing, resorting to thuggery because they can't face the heat of the people's rising anger. I am now sitting on a dharna inside the Chandrakona Police Station, demanding immediate action and arrests of those goons. The people of Bengal deserve better than this lawless dictatorship. I will not budge until accountability is enforced, " he added.
Provide Evidence Or Face Defamation: Adhikari To CM On Coal Smuggling Charge
Earlier in the day, two senior BJP leaders Adhiakri and state vice-president of BJP, Jagannath Chattopadhyay, challenged Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee to prove her allegations on their involvement in the coal smuggling case within a reasonable point of time or face defamation.
The counsel of Adhikari had already sent a notice of defamation to the chief minister, asking the latter to provide all purported evidence in the matter within 72 hours or face defamation proceedings, both civil and criminal.
On the other hand, Chattopadhyay had released a video message on the wall of his social media handle challenging the CM to either prove her allegations within a reasonable time or face defamation proceedings. Chattopadhyay, who was the state general secretary of the BJP in West Bengal, was elevated to the position of the state vice-president in the recently announced new state committee of the party.
The reactions of both Adhikari and Chattopadhyay, challenging Mamata in the matter, came amid her public statements in the last few days that "the proceeds of the coal smuggling cases in West Bengal reached the level of the Union Home Minister, Amit Shah, through Chattopadhyay or via Adhikari".
(With agencies inputs)