Didi Blames BJP For Attacking Her Kolkata Rally

Kolkata: Trinamul Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee accused BJP on Wednesday of attacking her protest rally with her loyalists and leaving 41 of them injured in southern parts of the city against the Suvendu Adhikari government on several issues including the recent gangrape and murder of a girl and the death of a key accused in police encounter at Baruipur in South 24 Parganas.

The former CM also blamed the Kolkata Police personnel for acting like BJP workers and threatened to move the Calcutta High Court for ‘contempt’ of its order for strict guidelines on Tuesday while allowing her rally. She later lost her cool amidst a chaotic crowd outside her residence on Harish Chatterjee Street in Kalighat and slapped a TMC worker.

Trouble broke out as soon as the TMC march started from Ballygunge Phari for Hazra More in the afternoon. Springing a surprise, a group of BJP workers confronted Ms Banerjee's followers shouting ‘Chor, Chor’ slogans and clashed with them. They also played songs on loudspeakers all along the route of the rally amid the street fight. The police and central forces personnel resorted to lathicharge.

Furious over the attack on TMC workers, Ms Banerjee alleged, “BJP workers entered the gathering to prevent our supporters from raising slogans, while chanting Lord Ram's name despite allegations of corruption related to the Ram Temple. I am not blaming the BJP alone. I hold the police and the administration responsible for failing to ensure the peaceful conduct of a court-approved rally.”

She claimed, “Instead of protecting peaceful participants, they allowed BJP supporters to set up stages, tents, tyres, and sound systems but confiscated our hand microphones despite court approval. We have complied with the HC directions while the authorities violated the orders. If the police themselves disregard judicial directions, it raises serious concerns about the rule of law. We will initiate contempt of court proceedings against those responsible.”