‘Will manage’: Mamata Banerjee injured, but says ‘won’t cancel meetings'

The 2-term West Bengal chief minister, contesting for a third, is the most prominent face for her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC), for the upcoming West Bengal assembly elections.

West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Thursday declared she will not cancel her meetings as she recuperated in a hospital, a day after being allegedly attacked by ‘four-five men’ at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

“I was injured severely yesterday. I have pain in my hands and leg. I have ligament injuries too. I was offering my prayers at that time. There was such a massive push that my leg got squeezed by the car,” Banerjee said from her hospital bed, in a video shared by her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC).

She added, “I request all of you to stay calm and exercise restraint. Don’t inconvenience others. I hope to return to work in two-three days. There will be some problem but I’ll manage. While I won’t cancel my meetings, I may have to be in wheelchair for some time. Request you to cooperate with me.”

Wednesday evening’s alleged attack took place just hours after Banerjee filed her nomination from the Nandigram assembly constituency, from where she will be up against her former aide Suvendu Adhikari, who joined the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) last December. The TMC supremo, who was scheduled to spend the night at Nandigram, cut short her visit and returned to Kolkata last night itself; a green corridor was created to take her back to the state capital, where she was admitted to the SSKM Hospital.

Banerjee is the most prominent face of her party and has projected herself as the ‘daughter of Bengal,’ as she seeks a third term in office, after the TMC won both the 2011 and 2016 assembly elections.

In contrast, the BJP leaders have been projected as ‘outsiders.’ The party, which is aiming at forming its maiden government in the poll-bound state is represented mostly by leaders who are not from Bengal. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah are from Gujarat, Yogi Adityanath is the Uttar Pradesh chief minister. Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty, who joined the BJP at PM Modi’s rally in Kolkata on March 7, is TMC's former Rajya Sabha MP.

Assembly elections in the state, for all 294 constituencies, will be held across eight phases, between March 27 and April 29. Counting of votes and declaration of results is scheduled for May 2.