TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday accused BJP's Tamluk candidate and former Calcutta High Court judge Abhijeet Gangopadhyay of questioning the integrity of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and urged the people of the constituency not to allow their land to be tainted by "outsiders." In a video which surfaced on Thursday, Gangopadhyay was heard wondering about "the amount at which Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is getting sold," triggering a row with the TMC labelling it as BJP's guarantee of disrespecting women, while the saffron party raised doubts about the clip's authenticity.

Urging the people of Tamluk not to let their land be tainted by "outsiders", Banerjee accused BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari of joining the party to evade probes by the Enforcement Directorate and the Central Bureau of Investigation, and in Gangopadhyay's case, for a political ticket.

Banerjee challenged Adhikari to a debate on the 10-year development agendas of the central government and the TMC-led state government, proposing it could take place during Modi's forthcoming visit to Haldia.

He accused the BJP of fabricating allegations to malign TMC leaders, citing a video where a BJP worker claimed Suvendu Adhikari orchestrated false rape charges against TMC members in the Sandeshkhali case.

Banerjee claimed that the central government's outstanding dues to West Bengal amounted to Rs 1.65 lakh-crore for schemes like Pradhan Mantri Awaas Yojana and MGNREGA, with no payments made for Awaas Yojana since 2021.

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