Kolkata: Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday led a protest in Kolkata against the BJP government over attacks on party leaders, particularly her nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee, in Sonarpur despite not receiving permission from the police.
While addressing the crowd in her first public rally after TMC's major poll debacle, Banerjee said that in her tenure, she stood by people irrespective of their political colours and affiliations.
Referring to the attack on Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata said that the people who once sought help from her did not extend any support when the Diamond Harbour MP went through a life-threatening attack.
Banerjee led the protest march on Rashmoni Avenue near Esplanade. Abhishek Banerjee and the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Kalyan Banerjee, were also present. High drama ensued at the protest site as scuffles broke out between the police and protesters, according to a News18 report.
Ahead of the protest, Mamata and other party leaders, including Dola Sen, offered floral tributes at the statue of Dr B.R. Ambedkar. She was also seen holding a book on the Constitution of India before heading for the protest.
Earlier on Sunday, Kalyan Banerjee claimed he suffered head injuries after being mobbed by BJP supporters outside a police station in West Bengal's Hooghly district.
A day before, MP Abhishek Banerjee was assaulted, pelted with eggs, and had his shirt torn at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas by an agitated crowd. Five people have been arrested in the matter. Several of those arrested were found to have links with former Sonarpur TMC MLA Lovely Maitra, according to a News18 report. The TMC, on the other hand, has called it a "BJP-sponsored attack."
