Mamata, Kharge, Akhilesh condemn attack on Abhishek Banerjee; BJP rejects involvement allegations

Top Opposition leaders, including TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge and Samajwadi Party boss Akhilesh Yadav, on Saturday strongly condemned the “murderous” attack on Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district’s Sonarpur.

According to the TMC, Banerjee was assaulted by a group of men during his visit to meet families affected by post-poll violence in Sonarpur.

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He was pushed and struck by miscreants as security personnel tried to shield him. Some women also hurled eggs and threw slippers at the TMC leader, who has alleged a BJP hand behind the attack.

Reacting to the attack, Mamata Banerjee also sought to blame the BJP. “RULERS BECAME KILLERS — shame on you BJP,” she said on X.

Congress President Kharge said that the attack was part of the alleged vendetta politics of the ruling BJP. He also questioned the alleged lack of police protection for Abhishek Banerjee.

“The deliberate lack of adequate police protection for a prominent Opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP’s politics of vendetta and persecution,” he said.

Kharge demanded that the Bengal government and the Centre ensure security for Opposition leaders.

“The Government of West Bengal and the Union Government must ensure security for all Opposition leaders and take immediate steps to prevent such attacks. Political differences can never justify any kind of violence,” he added.

Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of orchestrating a “murderous attack” on Abhishek Banerjee.

“By orchestrating a murderous attack on Shri Abhishek Banerjee ji, a key leader of the Trinamool Congress in Bengal, the anarchic BJP government in Bengal has proven that the BJP is capable of nothing but hate-filled, negative, violent politics,” Yadav said.

BJP rejects Opposition leaders’ allegations

Meanwhile, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya categorically rejected the allegations, suggesting the attack could have been a result of public anger against the Trinamool Congress.

“The BJP is not involved in such activities. What has happened is not expected in a democracy,” Bhattacharya told reporters.

On the question of the absence of police personnel at the spot, the BJP leader called it a matter of the administration.

“I will not be able to say why police were not there; it is a matter of the administration. I am from the party. What the TMC has done to our party workers all these years cannot be described,” he added.