Having discovered a new battleground in Tripura, the Trinamool Congress and BJP continued to cross swords and draw blood in the north-eastern State sparing not even the I-Day.
At least two persons were injured — one of them seriously — when BJP workers attacked two TMC MPs Dola Sen and Aparupa Poddar who claimed to have gone to that State for joining an Independence Day celebrations.
The convoys of Sen and Poddar were attacked at a town called Belonia some 75 kms off Tripura Capital Agartala, sources said.
“They were carrying BJP flags and shouting BJP slogans … our fault was that we had gone to that place to take part in Independence Day celebrations but the ruling BJP reminded that Tripura is not Independent and it has to be liberated by the Trinamool Congress.”
She said one of her assistants Zakir sustained head injury and was being flown in to Kolkata for treatment. “They heckled us, snatched and threw the bag, mobile phone and some documents from Aparupa Sen a senior TMC MP said.
When asked whether she had contacted Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee the MP said “I have spoken to Didi and she told me that whatever is happening is because of the Jungle Raj being perpetrated by the BJP … she has told me that this Jungle Raj will not be allowed to run here.”
The BJP in Tripura however denied any role in the incident. Its leader Nabadal Banik, said the whole thing was "a drama" enacted by Trinamool to get media attention and to create trouble in the state.
In Bengal State BJP president Dilip Ghosh said “the TMC has no footing in Tripura … and so it is trying to get a toehold there by enacting these drama … people understand everything and they will take them on.”
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that the TMC team was attacked thrice on Sunday. “What is happening … is there no independence in Tripura … is the way they run the Government there … earlier they attacked our national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee … then they attacked our youth leaders and even arrested them … before that they attacked the I-PAC team that had gone there to conduct a survey … why were they attacking I-PAC … is it because in the survey their black deeds would come out … and today they attacked our women MPs … mind you when women MPs are not safe their what could be the condition of the common women folk.”
The Left Front a prominent stakeholder in Tripura politics however called the “drama” a two sided game played by the BJP and the TMC to divide the opposition votes in that State. “Mamata Banerjee has been dividing opposition votes nationally since 2019 … then in Bengal she propped BJP to divide the opposition vote … and the BJP is now returning the favour in Tripura to highlight the TMC to divide the opposition vote,” said Md Salim CPI(M) politburo member.