NEW DELHI:
Suvendu Adhikari
, the West Bengal BJP chief, launched a stinging attack on chief minister
Mamata Banerjee
over the delay in the
arrest
of key accused
Sheikh Shahjahan
in the Sandeshkahli sexual assault case.
Hitting out at Mamata Banerjee for lodging 42 cases against him and failing to arrest Sheikh Shahjahan, Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday said, “She is a
cruel
lady”.
Suvendu said Mamata Banerjee would never arrest Shahjahan as doing so would cost ruling
TMC
the Basirhat seat.
“Mamata Banerjee’s police will not arrest Sheikh Shahjahan because he controls the votes. If he is arrested, then TMC will lose the Basirhat seat. The hearing is on March 6 on CJI’s bench. We hope that the case will go to CBI, and Shahjahan will be in jail within 24 hours,” he said.
“Stop calling Mamata Banerjee ‘Didi’; she has now become an ‘aunty’… I defeated her in Nandigram during the assembly elections. She lodged 42 cases against me. She is a cruel lady,” said BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari at Jawaharlal Nehru University while addressing a panel discussion on political violence in Bengal at Jawaharlal Nehru University.
The BJP leader also pointed out that section 144 imposed by the state government is only to prevent BJP leaders.
“Strictest action should be taken. Sheikh Shahjahan should get capital punishment. The CBI and NIA investigations should happen. They should take appropriate action as soon as possible. The people of
Sandeshkhali
and the entire West Bengal are waiting for it. Section 144 is imposed only to prevent BJP leaders, MLAs, and MPs. It is illegal. It is politically motivated. The state government is using section 144 to hide the situation inside,” Adhikari said.
“Under PM Modi-led government, ED and other investigative agencies have the freedom to work; hence, the incident of Sandeshkhali is in front of the entire country,” he added.
Suvendu levelled further allegations, claiming that Sheikh Shahjahan, who switched allegiance to the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in 2013, had prior affiliations with the CPI (M).
Suvendu asserted that Shahjahan was implicated in bribe collection and accused of being involved in land mafia activities. He alleged that Shahjahan routed 20% of the collected proceeds to Kolkata through Jyotipriya Mallick and Narayan Goswami, notable leaders from North 24 Paraganas.
Adhikari also claimed that there is a situation of presidential rule in West Bengal.
“BJP has not imposed President’s rule anywhere in the last 10 years except Jammu and Kashmir. The objective of our party is to change power by making the public aware. There is a situation of the president’s rule in Bengal, but as a BJP leader, I am not demanding it,” he added.
(With ANI input)
