Suvendu meets Shah on ‘violence’, TMC says ‘called over poll results’
Times of India | 12 July 2024
12 Kolkata: Leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday met Union home minister Amit Shah to allege “mob violence” in Bengal, drawing immediate barbs from Trinamool.
Adhikari raised incidents like Chopra and Ariadaha, where TMC strongmen had allegedly tortured common people. He also handed over an USB drive to Shah containing video footage of the Chopra incident and the disrobing of a BJP karyakarta in Cooch Behar.
“Shah enquired about the victims of post-poll violence and extended full support regarding the abatement of the same,” Adhikari posted on X.
TMC’s former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh said: “To the best of our information, he was summoned to New Delhi to explain the party’s dismal performance in the polls. In a party gripped by fighting, we had heard that earlier Dilip Ghosh had been to Delhi. Now, Suvendu had to go to Delhi. Maybe to undo the damages of the earlier visit. Whatever transpired at the meeting and what was told officially afterwards appear to be different. And why does he talk about USB drives? We saw no photographs. The Union minister has the central IB to give him pen drives.”
Adhikari also met Union finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman to complain about an “ensuing financial meltdown” in Bengal. He urged the ministry to maintain “financial vigilance” over the state of finances in Bengal and prevent any possible diversion of funds.
Adhikari alleged that state govt had issued a letter to district magistrates on July 8 and asked for the closing balance of bank accounts for every department. The reason for that, he claimed, was cited as “better management of the state’s financial resources”.