The Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday upped the ante against the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal with a multi-pronged attack on the ruling party. It claimed before the state electoral officer that there were 16 lakh duplicate or fake voter identity cards in the state.
Its Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari alleged that Sheikh Shahjahan, the main accused in the Sandeshkhali land grabbing and exploitation of women, was under the “safe custody” of the Mamata Banerjee government, while the BJP also started a 48-hour sit-in demonstration in Kolkata after the Calcutta High Court overrode the government’s objections.
The BJP delegation, led by Adhikari, on Wednesday met the state electoral officer to submit a memorandum alleging that there were 16 lakh duplicate voter ID cards in the state and urged it to take “immediate action” keeping in mind the impending Lok Sabha elections.
BJP sources said that this was a major cause of worry since the gap between the number of votes polled by the Trinamool and the BJP in the 2021 Assembly elections was “only 17 lakh”. Adhikari said: “Despite assurances of weeding out duplicate voters, nothing much was achieved. We regret to put on record that practically no steps were taken. There are around 16 lakh duplicate names in the voter list. Most interestingly, the gap between votes polled by the TMC and the BJP in 2019 was around 17 lakh only.” Later in the evening, Amit Malviya, the IT head of the BJP, and its co-Incharge of West Bengal wrote on X: “Today, @BJP4Bengal submitted a list of 17 lakh duplicate voters to the EC in Bengal, where the name, relation name and age are exactly same. Incidentally, in 2019, the gap between the BJP and TMC was 17 lakh. If elections in WB are to be fair, EC must clean up the duplication…
Adhikari also claimed that fugitive Shahjahan was “in the safe custody” of the Trinamool Congress. Adhikari’s claim comes just two days after Trinamool Congress spokesperson Kunal Ghosh and minister Bratya Basu asserted that Shahjahan would be arrested “within a week”.
Taking to X, Adhikari, the Nandigram MLA, claimed Shahjahan was in police custody since 12 am on Tuesday after being “taken away from Bermajur gram panchayat after he managed a deal with the police through influential mediators that he would be taken care of properly while in police and judicial custody”.
“He will be extended five-star facilities during his time behind the bars and will have access to a mobile phone, through which he will be able to lead the TMC virtually. Even a bed in Woodburn Ward (State-run SSKM Hospital) will be kept ready and vacant for him if he chooses to spend some time there,” he claimed.
The ruling Trinamool Congress, however, dismissed Adhikari’s claim as “baseless” and an “attempt at disturbing the law and order situation”, while asserting that the police are doing everything to nab Shahjahan.
Trinamool Congress leader Santanu Sen said: “To stay in the news, Adhikari, from time to time, makes such claims that are not only baseless but also brazen attempts at disturbing the law and order situation. We don’t take his comments seriously. The police are doing everything to nab Shajahan, just like they arrested other accused party leaders in the area, Shibaprasad Hazra and Uttam Sardar.”
Meanwhile, after the Calcutta High Court brushed aside the Bengal Government’s objections to a dharna by the BJP, the party leaders began a two-day dharna to protest against the worsening of law and order situation in West Bengal and atrocities on villagers by ruling Trinamool Congress leaders in the trouble-torn Sandeshkhali region.
Led by top leaders of the BJP’s State unit, the sit-in started at Mayo Road near the Mahatma Gandhi statue.
“The law and order in West Bengal has completely collapsed. Several incidents of land grab and sexual abuse in Sandeshkhali are glaring examples of such a situation in the State,” West Bengal BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP-elect Samik Bhattacharya said.
The riverine Sandeshkhali area – situated on the borders of the Sundarbans, about 75 kilometres from Kolkata – has been on the boil for more than a month with protests over allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against local Trinamool Congress leader Shahjahan Sheikh, who is absconding, and his supporters.
The unrest in the area stems from accusations against Shahjahan and his supporters of land grabbing and sexual assault with the local Trinamool Congress strongman evading authorities since a mob attack on Enforcement Directorate officials on January 5.
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Taking to X, Adhikari, the Nandigram MLA, claimed Shahjahan was in police custody since 12 am on Tuesday after being “taken away from Bermajur gram panchayat after he managed a deal with the police through influential mediators that he would be taken care of properly while in police and judicial custody”.