West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday launched a direct attack on former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, alleging that she has learnt nothing from the Trinamool Congress's crushing defeat. He said Mamata Banerjee is still sticking to her old strategy of appeasement politics, deceit and provocation, and he built his accusation around a recent statement she had made.
What happened in Baruipur
The controversy centres on Baruipur in South 24 Parganas district, where violent incidents recently broke out. Policemen were attacked and public property was deliberately vandalised. Mamata Banerjee had described these incidents as a spontaneous protest against the alleged rape and murder of a 12 year old minor in the area. It was this remark that drew Suvendu Adhikari's sharp reaction, and he used it as the basis for his attack on her.
A direct assault on social media
On Thursday afternoon, the Chief Minister posted a message on social media asking whether rioters could allegedly be called protesters. He wrote that Mamata Banerjee has lost herself and her party, that her party has been badly defeated and is exhausted, yet there has been no change in her. According to Suvendu Adhikari, the politics of appeasement, deceit and provocation, three bad habits, still have not left her.
He said that in her attempt to keep pushing her appeasement politics, Mamata Banerjee is even calling those who beat an innocent young man to death in Baruipur as protesters. To back this up, Suvendu Adhikari shared a video showing the mob beating 26 year old Indrajit Tanti to death and asked whether the people involved in this incident could really be considered ordinary protesters. He also shared a video of Mamata Banerjee's statement in which she described the tense situation that developed on Sunday afternoon, after the minor's body was found, as a protest.
The Chief Minister's pointed questions
In his post, Suvendu Adhikari directly asked whether the very people Mamata Banerjee is calling protesters were the ones who dragged an innocent young man out of his home, targeted him purely because of his name and identity, and then had him mercilessly beaten to death by the mob. He went on to write that these very rioters set fire to police vehicles, attacked policemen, damaged a railway track, spread anarchy in the area, broke the law and order machinery, disturbed the peace, and tried to stir up further unrest. He repeated his question, asking whether such people could truly be called protesters.
The new government's zero tolerance policy
Chief Minister Adhikari also made clear that the new state government under his leadership will adopt a policy of zero tolerance towards those involved in serious crimes such as rape and atrocities against women and children. He said that, in the same spirit, criminals who beat an innocent person to death will not be spared either. In his words, the era when crimes could be committed by hiding behind a mob or forming groups is now over. Suvendu Adhikari expressed confidence that the new government would use the legal process to ensure such criminals are fully punished for their actions.
Adhikari's attack comes at a time when the Baruipur incident has already stirred up the state's politics. His pointed questions suggest that the confrontation between the Trinamool Congress and the ruling side over this issue could intensify further in the coming days.
