West Bengal BJP President and Rajya Sabha MP, Samik Bhattacharya, accused the Trinamool Congress-led state government of systematically stifling democratic rights in West Bengal. He emphasized the importance of the right to dissent in a democracy, noting that the Opposition is being deprived of this fundamental right in the state. Bhattacharya highlighted that the Leader of Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, had to resort to legal action over 104 times to secure permissions for political events.
The State BJP President condemned the suspension of LoP Adhikari from the West Bengal Assembly for 11 months, citing it as indicative of the challenging situation faced by political workers and citizens in the state. Recalling a violent incident after Adhikari’s victory in Nandigram during the 2021 state polls, where assailants allegedly attempted to set his vehicle ablaze, Bhattacharya criticized the Trinamool Congress for struggling to field a strong candidate against Adhikari.
During a press conference, Suvendu Adhikari accepted the official election symbol of the BJP for contesting in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency. He expressed his intention to directly challenge Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in her native seat. Adhikari announced his nomination filing for the Nandigram Assembly seat on March 30 in Haldia, with the presence of Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, former State BJP President Dilip Ghosh, and other party members.
