Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: The Trinamool Congress on Monday alleged that “goons” of the Bharatiya Janata Party attacked Arambag MP Mitali Bag’s car on the last day of campaigning ahead of the second phase of the West Bengal Assembly polls.In a post on X, the TMC said that Bag was “brutally and dastardly attacked by BJP lumpens and thugs. Her car was vandalised. Her windshield smashed. Shards of glass pierced her body.”“Amit Shah threatened our leaders and party workers that anyone who steps out of their house would be hung upside down. Today, that threat was acted upon,” the party said.
“This is an attempt on the life of an elected Member of Parliament. Amit Shah issued the order from the stage. His lumpens carried it out on the street. The chain of command is direct. The responsibility is his,” it added.Bag was reportedly admitted to a local hospital. Officials said the situation in the area remains peaceful at present, with security forces maintaining strict vigilance.The Arambag seat is currently held by the BJP’s Madhusudan Bag, who defeated TMC’s Sujata Mondal by a margin of 7,172 (3.3 per cent) votes.The seat used to be a CPI(M) bastion before the 2011 delimitation. The TMC won the seat in 2011 and 2016 before losing it to the BJP in the 2021 polls.The BJP has fielded Hemanta Bag against the TMC’s Mita Bag to defend the constituency. CPI(M)’s Bithika Pandit is also in the fray.Earlier in the day, West Bengal Police arrested four individuals in connection with violent clashes between TMC and BJP supporters in front of the Jagatdal Police Station.Polling for the second phase of elections is scheduled for April 29, while counting of votes will take place on May 4.
