TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee criticized an anti-encroachment drive at his Kalighat residence, vowing that bulldozers cannot silence his voice amidst ongoing political friction between the Trinamool Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Abhishek Banerjee Condemns Anti-Encroachment Drive at Residence
TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee strongly criticised the anti-encroachment drive near his residence in Kalighat, West Bengal, saying that the 'bulldozers cannot silence his voice.' Today, Kolkata Municipal Corporation officials carried out an anti-encroachment drive, removing a makeshift structure outside Abhishek Banerjee's residence in the state capital. "No number of bulldozers can silence my voice or break my resolve. I will continue my fight against the Bangla Birodhis. I will neither retreat nor budge an inch until my last breath," Banerjee posted on X.
KMC officials arrived with a bulldozer near the TMC general secretary's Kalighat house in the morning and removed a structure made of bamboo in front of the MP's house. The structure was on the footpath, and the civic officials said it caused inconvenience to locals using the footpath. A huge posse of central forces was deployed at Banerjee's house before the bulldozer action.
Political Tensions Escalate in West Bengal
The action came days after late-night clashes between BJP and TMC workers outside the MP's house on the occasion of his 39th birthday. What started as an altercation finally turned into scuffles and stone-pelting. Abhishek Banerjee alleged that there was an attempt on his life and accused BJP supporters of ransacking a nearby TMC office.
On Friday, Abhishek Banerjee alleged that unidentified persons had been conducting reconnaissance of his office and residence for two days. “When confronted, they claimed to be police personnel,” he said on X, asking, “Why is the State Police allegedly spying on and snooping around the office and residence of an elected Member of Parliament? Who authorised this surveillance and for what purpose?”
Allegations of Surveillance and Vandalism
Hours later, he claimed the threat had turned real. “After I released the recce video this morning, my house was attacked just now, at 2 AM by BJP goons, right under the watch of the Kolkata police,” he said in a post on X on Saturday. Turning his guns on the judiciary, he added, “Thank you, Calcutta High Court and the Supreme Court of India, for remaining mute spectators while all this unfolds.”
"You can demolish my home. You can vandalise my office. You can frame me with false cases. You can do whatever you like... But the courage, human spirit, and conscience that I was born with—you can never take that away, nor will I ever be frightened by you," he said.
The incident prompted Mamata Banerjee to join Abhishek in a protest in Kalighat. She reached the Kalighat residence later in the morning and staged a protest with her nephew. However, the BJP dismissed the claims as an attempt to “mislead people.” West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh said, “This is the first time we’ve seen a politician’s birthday being celebrated on the footpath. If someone creates a disturbance, there is bound to be a backlash. Besides, who has the time to kill Abhishek Banerjee? There is nothing left for them to say or do, so they are attempting to mislead people by bringing up this issue.” (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianetnews Editorial staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
