Kolkata, March 14 Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's rally at the Brigade Parade Ground in Kolkata, senior Trinamool Congress leaders and state ministers Bratya Basu, Shashi Panja and party MP Saayoni Ghosh held an emergency press conference at Trinamool Bhavan on Sunday and accused the BJP of indulging in vandalism and violence.
Speaking at the press conference, state Education Minister Bratya Basu launched a sharp attack on the Prime Minister, saying: "The tone adopted by the Prime Minister while speaking at the Brigade today found its reflection right here in Girish Park. The manner in which BJP workers allegedly unleashed vandalism at Minister Shashi Panja’s residence is unprecedented. Was this attack carried out after being inspired and incited by the Prime Minister’s words?"
He further said, “We have found no precedent in any state where a sitting minister’s residence is attacked in this manner, with stones, bottles and shards of glass. At a time when Mamata Banerjee is conveying a message of a peaceful and secular Bengal, the BJP has resorted to such acts just ahead of the elections.”
Ahead of PM Modi's rally, stones were allegedly hurled at the residence of state minister Shashi Panja in north Kolkata's Girish Park area. Trinamool workers claimed that BJP activists carried out the act while heading towards the Prime Minister’s rally at the Brigade Parade Ground. The state minister alleged that she too was injured during the incident.
The BJP, however, issued a counter-allegation, claiming that Trinamool workers threw bricks at their activists as they were marching through Girish Park.
Shashi Panja, who was present at the spot, recounted her experience.
She said: "Today, on their way to the Brigade rally, BJP workers allegedly created chaos right in front of my residence. While our colleagues were putting up flex banners, a group wearing BJP caps -- who were travelling in a bus -- turned violent while chanting ‘Jai Shri Ram’."
Referring to her injuries, Shashi Panja said: "Whether I am a minister or simply a woman is beside the point. A brick was hurled directly at me and it struck my abdomen. I sustained an injury at the site of a previous surgery. Such actions have no place in democratic politics."
In light of the incident, Shashi Panja also raised questions over the Prime Minister’s remarks during the rally.
Referring to the Prime Minister's warning to "settle scores", she asked: "Is an attack on a state minister an example of that ‘settling of scores’? Are you the Prime Minister only of the BJP, or of the entire country?"
It has been reported that three Trinamool workers -- identified as Shubham, Souvik and Krishna -- sustained serious injuries during the incident. They reportedly suffered injuries to their chests and heads.
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