‘BJP orchestrated Sandeshkhali unrest to malign Bengal’: TMC releases video

Kolkata, May 4

Video politics has taken the centre stage in West Bengal as political parties attack one another as election propaganda. YMC leader Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday accused the BJP of orchestrating the Sandeshkhali episode and claimed that a video had vindicated the TMC’s stand that the saffron party was behind the incidents.

Allegations of sexual abuse and land grab against TMC leaders had surfaced in Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district. “I never thought the politics of Bengal would stoop so low to get votes. We have been saying from day one that a shameless attempt was made to malign Bengal ahead of the elections,” Banerjee said in a press conference here.

Earlier in the day, the TMC released a video on social media, in which a man, being claimed to be Gangadhar Koyal, a BJP mandal president in Sandeshkhali, was heard saying that the leader of Opposition in West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, was behind the whole “conspiracy”.

While Adhikari said the video was doctored, Koyal has lodged a complaint with the CBI, alleging that it was a morphed and edited video. Banerjee alleged that Adhikari had orchestrated the entire incident in Sandeshkhali for creating grounds for imposition of Article 355 in West Bengal.

Banerjee said the dignity of Bengali women was put under the scanner by such allegations in Sandeshkhali, which were directed at “maligning the state”. The TMC leader demanded that the BJP top leadership apologise within 48 hours for maligning Bengal.

Banerjee said Narendra Modi had mentioned Sandeshkhali incidents several times during his election speeches in West Bengal. “What will the PM say now,” he said. Adhikari said it was a fake video. “It seems that the TMC has sensed defeat in the election and is trying to divert attention. There have been hundreds of complaints by women of Sandeshkhali,” he added.

Recently, Congress leader and party candidate from Berhampore, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, had also accused the TMC of circulating a fake video against him in which he was shown asking people to vote for the BJP rather than the TMC.