Alleging violence on TMC in Tripura, party delegation heads to Delhi to meet Amit Shah

Alleging police brutality towards Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers in Tripura, a delegation of party MPs is headed to Delhi to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah. Thereafter, TMC MPs will sit on dharna from Monday morning. Sharing the news, TMC leader Derek O' Brien said 'now, it will be eyeball to eyeball' with the ruling BJP.  

Ahead of municipal corporation elections in Tripura, TMC has alleged that the BJP has attacked its members including the party’s youth wing president Saayoni Ghosh, and had later arrested her. A ruckus broke out outside the Agartala Police station after Trinamool Congress and BJP workers clashed during the interrogation of Saayoni Ghosh, who was arrested after a BJP leader filed a complaint citing Ghosh's viral post that showed her travelling near an election rally of Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb. In the video, Ghosh was heard saying 'Khela Hobe Biplab Babu' (Game on), mocking the turnout of people at the CM's rally. "Tripura's "chief" ministerial meeting was attended by 50 people,'' she said.

This was not an incident in isolation. Earlier, BJP-turned-TMC leader Babul Supriyo claimed that his car was allegedly attacked by BJP goons who gheraoed him at the Ramnagar outpost area of Tripura. A similar allegation was made by Sushmita Dev against the BJP last month. 

'Will fight till the last drop of the blood': TMC 

TMC's General Secretary and Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek Banerjee is reaching Tripura to 'stand by' the TMC workers who have been attacked by what the party referred to as 'BJP goons'. The party affirmed that it is going to 'fight till the last drop of the blood' to fight the 'autocratic government' in Tripura.

Tagging Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, TMC in a tweet said, "Your intimidation won't break our spirit. We are street fighters, we cannot be cowed down." The party added, "Tripura is ready to embrace change, credible change." 

It is pertinent to mention here that the BJP won 112 of the 334 seats uncontested in the Agartala Municipal Corporation (AMC) and 19 urban local bodies ahead of the November 25 elections. For the same, TMC has alleged that due to violence, threats and pressure by the ruling BJP leaders and their aides, many of their candidates could not file nominations or were forced to withdraw candidatures after submissions in the Municipal corporation elections. The BJP had, however, denied the allegations.

Image: PTI, Republic World