BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday accused the CPI(M) in West Bengal of aiding the ruling TMC to secure victories in several Lok Sabha seats by dividing the Hindu vote bank.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event marking 'Paschimbongo Divas', Adhikari asserted that the Marxists strategically split Hindu votes to ensure TMC's success in constituencies such as Dumdum and Jadavpur, claiming they influenced results in at least 12 seats during the Lok Sabha elections.
Out of the 42 LS seats in Bengal, TMC won 29, BJP (12), Congress (1) while the Left Front drew a blank.
The Nandigram MLA, who switched allegiance from the TMC to the BJP before the 2021 assembly polls after falling out with Mamata Banerjee, highlighted similar tactics allegedly used by the CPI(M) in the 2021 assembly polls, helping the TMC win in 56 assembly segments.
He accused the CPI(M) of unleashing violence during its 34-year rule, including incidents like Nanoor mass killings and Nandigram violence.
Referring to TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s victory in Diamond Harbour by over 7 lakh votes, he said, "There was mass loot of votes. Except TMC’s symbol, all other party symbols were covered by tapes in several booths to ensure the regional party’s victory. BJP candidate Abhjit Das (Bobby) will file a petition in Calcutta High Court demanding a probe into irregularities and we will back it up with adequate proof." "I am ready to provide all kinds of legal assistance to other candidates also if they approach me individually. There is no politics in it. We can't allow democracy to be butchered in such blatant manner," he said.
In response to Adhikari's accusations, CPI(M) central committee member Sujan Chakraborty dismissed the claims as baseless and suggested the BJP leader’s frustration over electoral setbacks.
Chakraborty criticised both BJP and TMC, labeling them as two sides of the same coin and accusing TMC of facilitating saffron party's rise in West Bengal.
He emphasised CPI(M)'s commitment to secularism and criticised the BJP and TMC for allegedly exploiting religious sentiments for political gains.
Adhikari, who honoured Jan Sangh founder Shyama Prasad Mukherjee during the event, credited him with preventing West Bengal from becoming part of East Pakistan during partition, which could bring grave implications for Bengali Hindus here The Raj Bhavan also observed 'Paschimbongo Divas' which was attended by Governor CV Ananda Bose.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said while BJP always sees everything through the prism of religion, caste and community, TMC believes in pluralism, secularism and works for the benefit of people upholding democratic values and principles.
"We observe April 15 as the state’s foundation day and not June 20," he said.
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