Supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) allegedly attacked the convoy of West Bengal Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday, damaging the rear windshield of the bulletproof vehicle in which he was travelling to Khagrabari in Cooch Behar district, North Bengal.
Hundreds of slogan-shouting TMC workers lined both sides of the road to Khagrabari, waving black flags as Adhikari's convoy passed through. Many reportedly pelted stones and struck the vehicles with sticks. Adhikari claimed that the rear windshield of his car was shattered due to one such blow.
The incident occurred just hours after TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee urged the party's district leadership to take a more proactive approach in the run-up to next year's Assembly elections.
"All the vehicles, including mine, were hit by stones and lathis. Had the vehicle I was travelling in not been bulletproof, you wouldn't be seeing me here—you'd be seeing me in a mortuary," Adhikari said while addressing the media after visiting the Superintendent of Police's office to file a complaint.
Adhikari alleged that the attackers included Bangladeshi infiltrators and Rohingyas, angered by his sustained campaign against illegal immigration.
He reiterated his commitment to removing what he claimed were 1.25 crore infiltrators from the electoral rolls.
Adhikari was en route to attend a BJP protest rally in Cooch Behar and stated that the event had prior approval from the High Court.
Tuesday's incident brings back memories of the 2020 attack on BJP national president J.P. Nadda's convoy during his visit to Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas.
"These are Mamata Banerjee's voters, who have consistently supported the TMC in exchange for food, shelter, and jobs. But I won't spare them-they will be thrown out," Adhikari said.
Former Union Minister and BJP MP Nisith Pramanik, who was accompanying Adhikari, alleged that State Minister Udayan Guha orchestrated the attack. "We knew Udayan Guha was planning something. This incident proves it. It also shows that the TMC feels threatened by the BJP's growing popularity," Pramanik said.
Guha, however, denied the allegations, claiming the TMC had no role in the attack and that no Bangladeshis or Rohingyas were involved. "Those protesting were local Rajbanshis demonstrating against the BJP's policies," he said.