Police acting at the behest of Trinamul Congress, says Suvendu

Adhikari had earlier said at a news conference that BJP MLAs and workers would 'bring Calcutta to a standstill' if there was any misconduct during the polls

Suvendu Adhikari.: File photo

Arkamoy Datta Majumdar And Snehal Sengupta   |   TT  |   20.12.21  :  Bengal’s leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday alleged police were trying to restrict the movements of BJP lawmakers, including him, on poll day under instructions from the Trinamul Congress.

The Nandigram MLA cited multiple incidents that unfolded on Sunday to buttress his claim.

Adhikari and 16 other BJP MLAs, along with MP Arjun Singh, were allegedly prevented from leaving Adhikari’s Salt Lake residence by Bidhannagar police in the evening.

Earlier in the day, eight BJP MLAs were allegedly locked inside the MLA hostel. The MLAs sat on a dharna inside the hostel compound when the lock on the gate wasn’t removed.

“We had a meeting in Salt Lake at 2pm. Five of us are from Purulia and three from Bankura. But we have been locked here. We went to the superintendent to ask him about this but he said the police had done this.… The hostel is under the Speaker’s jurisdiction. We called him. He told us to stay here for some more time and then leave...,” Sudip Mukherjee, the BJP MLA of Purulia Town, said.

Adhikari said BJP MLA Niladri Sekhar Dana was detained while on his way to Salt Lake. MLA Lakshman Ghorai was arrested. Adhikari alleged.

On Sunday evening, a group led by Adhikari was supposed to reach Calcutta to meet governor Jagdeep Dhankhar at the Raj Bhavan at 6pm to apprise him of the alleged malpractices in the civic polls. However, the police stopped them from leaving Adhikari’s residence by citing law and order.

BJP leaders and the police were locked in a scuffle for over an hour.

“Bidhannagar police have no right to stop us here. Polls are being held in areas under Calcutta police.… They did not arrest us since they would have had to produce us in court otherwise,” Adhikari told The Telegraph on Sunday evening.

According to Adhikari, he, along with other leaders, had told the police on duty that they wanted to head to the Raj Bhavan, yet they were stopped. “This proves that the police are acting on the orders of the Trinamul Congress and are scared of the BJP. We want re-poll in all wards,” said Adhikari.

BJP sources said Adhikari had planned to station himself at Salt Lake to be able to reach Calcutta as soon as the polls were over at 5pm. A person who isn’t a voter of an area where elections are being held cannot enter it as long as voting continues.

Adhikari had earlier said at a news conference that BJP MLAs and workers would “bring Calcutta to a standstill” if there was any misconduct during the polls.

The Nandigram MLA reached his Salt Lake residence around 2pm on Sunday. Arjun Singh followed him shortly. However, hours before their arrival, a large police contingent led by Surya Pratap Yadav, deputy commissioner, headquarters of the Bidhannagar commissionerate, had cordoned off the house.

The leaders spoke with senior officers of the commissionerate several times, asking them why they had been detained when there were no polls in Salt Lake and wanted to see an official order.

Singh said there was no democracy in Bengal and it had turned into a police state.

“This is a complete police raj. We had asked the court to ensure free and fair elections but sadly this has not taken place. We will raise this issue in the Lok Sabha on Monday,” said Singh.

As Adhikari and his colleagues were being stopped by the police from leaving Salt Lake, governor Dhankhar took to Twitter to draw attention to the situation. Later, the BJP delegation met Dhankhar and apprised him.

“Our case in the court hasn’t yet been disposed of. We will prove our allegations on December 23.… I’ve footage of 150 to 200 instances (of electoral misconduct)…,”

Adhikari said. The delegation has also urged the governor to ensure that the poll process is declared null and void.

Later at night, Adhikari and BJP leaders got into a fight with the police when they had gone to meet state election commission officials.

CPM workers took to the streets on Sunday. In protest against their candidates and agents being attacked and alleged poll rigging, Left supporters blocked multiple busy crossings in the Bhowanipore and the Baghajatin areas.

Trinamul leaders rejected all allegations of the Opposition. Minister Firhad Hakim said the Opposition didn’t have the people’s support and hence they were levelling allegations.

“Nobody has stopped them. They have put themselves in self-arrest,” Hakim said, asked about Adhikari’s allegation that BJP lawmakers were stopped from leaving his residence.