Having recovered from the assault allegedly by Trinamool Congress supporters at Bhangar on January 6, veteran CPI(M) leader Abdur Rezzak would be back addressing party supporters at Ground Zero on February 14.
His meeting at Bhangar assumes significance on two counts-by sending the
former minister back at the scene of his assault, the CPI(M) top bosses have openly dared the ruling party to try and hold him back and secondly Mollah happens to be a more popular voice in Bhangar than comrade and former chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee and could jee up his party rank and file, especially in the wake of chief minister Mamata Banerjee holding a public meeting there on Monday.
Quizzed on his impending Bhangar meet, Mollah said the rally would primarily be staged to protest the continuing spiral of violence and the deteriorating law and order situation across the state. “There is also a need to galvanise our party rank and file in time for the upcoming panchayat elections,” Mollah said.
Asked whether he was apprehending any fresh attack on him, Mollah said, “It can’t be ruled out. I do keep moving around unescorted in public and could be attacked any time.”
Besides the former land and land reforms minister, leader of opposition in the state assembly Suryakanta Mishra and CPI(M) central committee member Goutam Deb too would be present at the meeting.
The attack on Mollah evoked massive outrages from all sections of society. Facing flak and on the back foot, the state was forced to act against prime accused and former Trinamool MLA Arabul Islam.
The attack accorded an opportunity to state Left Front leadership to galvanise its rank and file, with the likes of Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, Prakash Karat, Brinda Karat and Sitaram Yechury paying a visit to the ailing leader.