India News | Tathagata Praises Nomination of Tibrewal Against Mamata in Bhabanipur By-poll

Kolkata, Sep 11 (PTI) Senior BJP leader Tathagata Roy on Saturday praised the nomination of party leader and lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the September 30 Bhabanipur by-poll and took a dig at the party top brass for putting up "non-serious film personalities" in the last assembly election which cost the saffron party dearly.

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He described the pitching of Tibrewal as TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's contender "a masterstroke" by BJP.

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"Once defeated in Nandigram, Banerjee has every chance of meeting the same fate at the hands of one who is a fighter to the core and sides with BJP workers who have been attacked in the past," Roy told reporters here.

The senior BJP leader, who had in the past jibed at some party candidates who are from the fiilm industry, iterated "The harakiri by bringing in showbiz performers into BJP has not been repeated this time as Priyanka is a serious contender and a committed party worker."

Harakiri is the ritual suicide by disembowelment with a sword, formerly practised in Japan by samurai warriors.

"I had always maintained that these showbiz performers who dance on stage have no seriousness. They even took a cruise on the Ganga with TMC leader Madan Mitra in the midst of electioneering. They had proved their ficklemindedness by sharing photos of it in the social media accounts. Little wonder they had all lost.

"Our leadership should not have inducted them and given them tickets. We should have given tickets to party activists like Priyanka," Roy, who is known for his blunt comments, said.

Claiming that there is nothing like a TMC stronghold in Bhabanipur, Roy said "Mamata Banerjee is seeking election from the constituency after losing to Suvendu Adhikari in Nandigram. Banerjee is already a defeated candidate. There is every possibility of Priyanka winning. She was instrumental in the NHRC team's visit to areas hit by post-poll violence and in bringing justice to the victims of violence perpetrated TMC".

In an earlier tweet, Roy had said when Tibrewal was "waging a war in court on behalf of victims of TMC attacks heavyweight BJP leaders were issuing press statements from the safety of security cordons in the comfort of their homes."

Referring to Roy's comments, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh said "He is a senior leader. He is entitled to his comments. We should all work to ensure BJP's win in the by-poll."

Commenting on Tibrewal's candidature and comments by BJP leaders, TMC leader and state minister Firhad Hakim told reporters, "Everyone knows Mamata Banerjee will win by big margin in Bhabanipur. There is no point in giving importance to what the BJP says."

Hakim further said "Priyanka Tibrewal had lost in the last assembly elections. She will lose in Bhabanipur this time as well. But she is a young woman who has entered into electoral battlefield. We appreciate her courage."

(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)