India News | BJP's Suvendu Duels with TMC on Nandigram Anniversary

Nandigram (WB), Mar 14 (PTI) A war of words between the opposition BJP and the ruling TMC over the corruption charges marred observance of the 16th annniversary of the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram.

The BJP and TMC leaders organised separate rallies in the Nandigram area of Purba Medinipur district to commemorate the day which saw 14 anti-land acquisition protestors killed in police firing in 2007.

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Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, while referring to his fight against the Left Front during the days of anti-land acquisition, said he will soon ensure that "top leaders of TMC are sent to the garage (Jail)."

Without naming anyone, he said, "I will ensure that the aunt, nephew, and top TMC leaders are sent to the garage. I have fought against the CPI (M). I will take care of the TMC too in the coming days."

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Reacting sharply to his remarks, the TMC leadership said that the day the BJP is out of power, Adhikari himself will end up in prison.

"Suvendu Adhikari should be the last person to talk about corruption. We all know there are CBI and ED cases against him. The day BJP is voted out of power, Adhikari will also land in jail. We are waiting for that day," senior TMC leader and Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya said.

The verbal duel came against the backdrop of the arrest of several TMC functioneries by the CBI and ED on corruption charges.

Earlier in the day, both parties sought to appropriate the legacy of the anti-land acquisition movement at Nandigram on its 16th anniversary.

Chandrima Bhattacharya, Minister of Finance and Health, visited Nandigram in the morning, paid floral tributes to the martyrs and met their families.

Adhikari, the current Nandigram MLA and earlier a lieutenant to chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who had defected from TMC to the saffron camp ahead of the 2021 assembly polls, took a dig at his earstwhile party's government for promoting IPS officers who were responsible for the incident despite being, what he called, the "biggest beneficiary of the political movement".

Bhattacharya hit back at Adhikari's innuendo, saying the BJP leader and his family were the "biggest beneficiary" of the movement which Banerjee, the TMC supremo, led.

"We don't need lessons on Nandigram or the movement from traitors. The Nandigram movement would not have happened had Mamata Banerjee not been there. So those trying to appropriate the legacy of Nandigram are insulting the people's movement," she said. TMC observes March 14 as 'Nandigram Diwas' since it came to power in West Bengal in 2011 to pay its respect to the 14 who were killed in the police firing during the anti-land acquisition stir in the area in 2007.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee tweeted, "March 14 marks a black day in Bengal's history. It is a grim reminder of the barbaric attacks on hapless farmers of Bengal, of the 14 martyrs of Nandigram and the countless villagers who were subjected to state-sponsored violence".

She said that West Bengal is among the top agricultural producers in the country.

"16 years later, Bengal has emerged as a leading agricultural state that empowers its farmers and enables them to lead dignified lives. Nandigram Diwas is a bold testament to our indomitable fighting spirit and unrelenting zeal to secure every resident of the state," she tweeted. As the then opposition leader, Banerjee had joined and led the movements against the erstwhile Left Front government's acquisition of arable land in Nandigram and Singur for industrialisation. Adhikari was then her trusted lieutenant in Nandigram. Her party TMC reaped rich dividends from the agitations by winning 50 per cent of the panchayat seats in 2008, bagging 19 Lok Sabha seats in 2009 and ending the 34-year-long Left Front rule in the state in 2011. The TMC stormed back to power for the third successive term in 2021, notwithstanding a high-pitched campaign by the BJP accusing her party of corruption.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)