After Delhi Police released the detained leaders of Trinamool Congress (TMC), including Abhishek Banerjee in the wee hours of Wednesday for staging a sit-in at Delhi’s Krishi Bhawan, he called it a ‘black day for Indian democracy.’
“Those who are fighting for the people of Bengal were made to wait for 3 hours. The minister ran away. We were sitting there peacefully but suddenly the security personnel manhandled all of us, including women,” Banerjee said.
The TMC general secretary added, “The way we were dragged and humiliated, today marks a black day for democracy. Photographs don’t lie. The way our MPs were harassed is out in the open.”
Those who are fighting for the people of Bengal were made to wait for 3 hours…The minister ran away. We were sitting there peacefully but suddenly the security personnel manhandled all of us including women. The way we were dragged and humiliated, today marks a tainted day in… pic.twitter.com/eOkJq7d7lT
— ANI (@ANI) October 3, 2023
Further, Banerjee alleged that the police manhandled the protesting party members and called for a ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo’ march on October 05 in West Bengal’s Kolkata.
“I will carry out a ‘Raj Bhavan Chalo‘ campaign against the manhandling done by the police, on October 5 at 3 pm with 1 lakh people at Raj Bhavan. Will also meet the Governor and hand over the 50 lakh letters to him,” Banerjee said.
Reacting to the TMC leaders’ detention, party supremo and West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has condemned the police action against them.
Taking it to X (formerly known as Twitter), the chief minister said, “Today is a dark, sinister day for democracy, a day when BJP revealed their disdain for the people of Bengal, their disregard for the rights of the poor and a complete abandonment of democratic values.”
Today is a dark, sinister day for democracy, a day when @BJP4India revealed their disdain for the people of Bengal, their disregard for the rights of the poor and a complete abandonment of democratic values.
— Mamata Banerjee (@MamataOfficial) October 3, 2023
First, they callously withheld crucial funds meant for the poor of…
“First, they callously withheld crucial funds meant for the poor of Bengal and when our delegation arrived in Delhi, determined to peacefully protest and draw attention to the plight of our people, they were met with brutality – first at Rajghat and then at Krishi Bhavan,” she said in the tweet.
Moreover, she said that the Delhi Police acted as the “BJP’s strong-arm” and “shamelessly manhandled” TMC leaders.
“… our representatives… were forcibly removed and whisked away in police vans like common criminals, all because they dared to speak truth to power. Their (BJP’s) arrogance knows no bounds and their pride and egotism have blinded them. They have now crossed all limits to repress the voice of Bengal,” she said.
Notably, on Tuesday, the Delhi Police detained at least 30 TMC leaders during their sit-in protest demanding the release of MGNREGA funds. The party members also shared videos showing leaders, including MP Mahua Moitra, being forcibly removed by the police from Krishi Bhawan.
This is how elected MPs of the world’s largest democracy are treated after being given an appointment to meet with a Minister of the Govt of India (which she refused to honour after making us wait 3 hours)
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) October 3, 2023
Shame @narendramodi shame @AmitShah pic.twitter.com/cmx6ZzFxBu
The TMC delegation, led by Abhishek Banerjee and comprising senior party leaders, MPs, and MLAs, has been stationed in Delhi since Monday. They initiated a dharna at Rajghat on Gandhi Jayanti, to demand the release of MGNREGA funds.
On Tuesday, the TMC leaders staged a protest at Jantar Mantar in the national capital and subsequently marched to the Rural Development Ministry at Krishi Bhawan. They had a scheduled appointment with Minister of State Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti. According to the TMC, the Union minister declined to meet them after a wait of one-and-a-half hours.
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