TMC and BJP meet EC over Mamata’s injury

Kolkata: Delegations from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday in connection with the injury suffered by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during an event in Nandigram two days ago

Kolkata: Delegations from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) met the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday in connection with the injury suffered by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee during an event in Nandigram two days ago.

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A five-member team of TMC parliamentarians met the poll watchdog in Delhi and alleged that the attack on Banerjee, 66, was premeditated and part of a deep-rooted conspiracy. On Wednesday, Banerjee had alleged that 4-5 men had attacked her though some eyewitnesses suggested that her car may have hit a pole jutting out of the road.

To back its claim, the TMC cited several social media posts and comments by BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The party also cited caricature and cartoons shared by BJP state chief Dilip Ghosh and alleged that the ECI “abruptly” removed the director general of police after appeals from the BJP. Similar allegations by the TMC on Thursday had drawn a sharp response from the ECI, which called the insinuations unfortunate.

“Even the Prime Minister said at his recent rally in Kolkata that Mamata Banerjee’s scooty would fall in Nandigram. The entire episode smells of a conspiracy,” said Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy. The TMC memorandum also alleged that eye witnesses were planted by the BJP.

The BJP rejected the charges. “The TMC is distorting the Prime Minister’s comment at the rally. He never said Mamata Banerjee would get hurt in Nandigram,” said Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya.

On Friday evening, a six-member BJP delegation met EC officials in Kolkata with the demand for a through probe. The leaders also urged the poll panel to check video footage. “We also want a special observer for Nandigram since it is a high-profile constituency,” Dasgupta said after the meeting.

Bhupender Yadav, BJP general secretary, said, “The party also requested the election commission to make public the video of Banerjee’s rally in which she got injured.”

A section of BJP leaders - Barrackpore Lok Sabha member Arjun Singh one of them - accused the chief minister of lying about the attack. But others, such as Bhattacharya, said the BJP did not want to do politics about the incident.