Senior Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Sunday accused the BJP of using CBI and ED to intimidate the ruling party of West Bengal and asserted that people of the state are with the TMC.
At a public meeting in Ghatal constituency, he also claimed that the saffron party is a "bunch of outsiders" who were responsible for vandalising the bust of 19th-century social reformer and Bengali icon Iswarchandra Vidyasagar before the 2019 Lok Sabha polls in Kolkata.
"BJP can have ED, CBI on their side. They are threatening those who are raising their voices against their undemocratic acts. A section of media friends are also siding with the BJP. But people of Bengal are with the TMC," the Diamond Harbour MP said.
Charging the BJP with blocking the ‘Ghatal masterplan', a mega project to dredge riverbeds and strengthen embankments of at least 10 major rivers in the state, Banerjee urged people to vote for TMC's Ghatal Lok Sabha candidate, film-turned-politician Dipak Adhikari, who is known by his screen name, Dev.
Ghatal, comprising six assembly segments in Paschim Medinipur district and one in Purba Medinipur, is a low-lying riverine area that gets affected by floods almost every year. The Centre has approved the West Bengal government's Rs 1,500-crore Ghatal masterplan in June 2022.
"By December 31, the Ghatal Masterplan will be executed, if not by the Centre, then by the state. I asked Dev not to depend on this discriminating Modi government. I had persuaded him in February to enter the fray for the third time," he added.
Dev is the sitting MP of Ghatal since 2014. There were speculations that he was not willing to contest the polls this time.
Describing the BJP as "anti-Bengal," Banerjee claimed that despite Prime Minister Narendra Modi's promise six years back to mitigate the plight of farmers in south Bengal districts cause by recurring floods, no action plan was announced so far.
In a dig at the BJP's Ghatal candidate, another filmstar-turned-politician Hiran Chatterjee, the TMC heavyweight leader claimed he had visited Banerjee's office to join the TMC but his plea was spurned.
"Five-six months back, he had visited my office and expressed his wish to join the TMC. But we don't have places for such opportunist people who have no principles. He did not visit again and later denied he had ever met me after 2021.
"Well, if I bring out the CCTV footage of his visit, what will be his reaction? We don't want to do so as we wish to fight politically," Banerjee said.
Hiran Chatterjee could not be contacted for comment.
Reiterating his party's claim that a BJP leader had handed over a list of TMC leaders to be arrested by NIA, Banerjee said, "We have the proof. There is clinching evidence. Let BJP counter our charges. We will produce the CCTV footage at the right time."
Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP denied that any leader of the saffron camp visited any NIA official.
Earlier in the day, the TMC leader held a colourful road show in Ghatal covering a distance of over 1 km with Dev.
