Mamata back on campaign trail, speaks in support of arrested aide Anubrata

In her first public meeting since suffering an injury during the election campaign, West Bengal CM talks about close aide Anubrata Mondal, who is in judicial custody for his alleged involvement in a cattle smuggling case

| Updated: 04 July, 2023 12:01 am IST
Mamata Banerjee and her close aide Anubrata Mondal (FILE PHOTO)

KOLKATA: West Bengal Chief minister Mamata Banerjee is back on the campaign trail after suffering an injury while alighting from a helicopter on June 27.

In her first public rally following the accident where she suffered injuries in her knee and leg, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo invoked arrested party leader and close aide Anubrata Mondal.

Mondal, along with his daughter Sukanya, is currently lodged at Tihar Jail under judicial custody following their alleged involvement in a multi-crore cattle smuggling case.

ALSO READ: 2021 once again: Ahead of election, Mamata suffers injuries

Virtually addressing a rally in Birbhum district, Mondal’s home ground, CM Banerjee said that he was detained to keep him away from the upcoming panchayat election.

“Anubrata Mondal and his daughter Sukanya have been put behind bars. If they are guilty of corruption, why don’t the central agencies prove it?” CM Banerjee thundered.

“They are unable to prove it and have detained Anubrata Mondal so that he does not work for Trinamool and remains away from the Panchayat Election process,” says Banerjee.

ALSO READ: TMC in image correction mode before panchayat poll

“However, who will take action against the traitor who is in the BJP right now? The BJP’s term is coming to an end. The ‘Double-Engine’ government concept has derailed. They will once again make false promises, but this time, the people are aware of their lies,” CM Banerjee said while taking potshots at the main opposition party in the state, the BJP.

Speaking about the riot-hit Manipur, CM Banerjee said, “Today, we are witnessing violence in Manipur, where the people are not being able to come out of their homes. The BJP government has pitted the communities in Manipur against each other, which has led to these riots.”

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“Here too, they are trying to wedge a divide between Kamatapuri and Rajbangshis,” CM Banerjee alleged.

Wooing the farmers of Birbhum district, CM Banerjee said, “I urge our farmers to sell their grains to the State government so that they can get the actual price of their produce. Besides this, we are also giving Farmers’ Pension of ₹10,000 and a compensatory amount of ₹2 lakh as Krishak Bandhu, if any farmer dies.”

ALSO READ: Mondal Vs Partha In Bengal: TMC Backs One, Deserts Other

West Bengal is scheduled to hold panchayat election on July 8. Polling will be held for nearly 75,000 seats in the three-tier Panchayati Raj system.

The state has a total of 3317 gram panchayats. There are 928 seats across 22 zilla parishads, 9730 panchayat samiti seats and 63,229 gram panchayat seats.

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