'Rulers became killers': Mamata, Akhilesh, Kharge condemn attack on Abhishek Banerjee, accuse BJP of violence

OPposition company leaders strongly condemned the alleged assail on TMC subject superior general secretarial assistant and MP Abhishek Banerjee during his visit to Sonarpur in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, where he had gone to meet families affected by post-poll violence.Also Read | Fresh trouble for TMC's Abhishek Banerjee, summoned by CID in forged signature probeAccording to allegations by the TMC, a group of men pushed and struck Abhishek Banerjee despite attempts by security personnel to shield him. Women in the crowd allegedly hurled eggs and sandals and issued threats.As Banerjee, wearing a helmet and with his shirt torn, walked down the road, chants of “chor chor” (thief, thief) rang out.Mamata, Kharge slam BJPFormer West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee condemned the attack on party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and blamed the BJP for the incident."RULERS BECAME KILLERS — shame on you BJP," she said in a post on X.Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge also denounced the incident, claiming the absence of adequate security reflected the BJP's approach of targeting opposition voices."Strongly condemn the shocking attack on MP Shri Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur, as he went to meet the families affected by post-poll violence in the state," Kharge said in a post on X. "The deliberate lack of adequate police protection for a prominent Opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP's politics of vendetta and persecution," he added.Kharge further said that both the West Bengal government and the Union government must ensure the safety of opposition leaders and prevent such incidents from recurring."The Government of West Bengal and the Union Government must ensure security for all Opposition leaders and take immediate steps to prevent such attacks. Political differences can never justify any kind of violence," he said.Also Read | Abhishek Banerjee assaulted allegedly by BJP workers: Eggs, stones, shoes hurled at TMC general secretaryAkhilesh Yadav on attack on BanerjeeSamajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also condemned the attack and alleged that the BJP government in the state was responsible for the deteriorating law-and-order situation."By orchestrating a murderous attack on Shri Abhishek Banerjee ji, a key leader of the Trinamool Congress in Bengal, the anarchic BJP government in Bengal has proven that the BJP is capable of nothing but hate-filled, negative, violent politics," Yadav said in a post on X.He further alleged that the absence of police deployment despite the sensitive atmosphere pointed towards a larger conspiracy."Even in such a sensitive environment, the absence of police arrangements points to a major conspiracy. Utterly condemnable!" he added.BJP denies any roleMeanwhile, West Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya denied any role of his party in the incident and said the attack could have been a manifestation of public anger against the ruling Trinamool Congress."The BJP is not involved in such activities. What has happened is not expected in a democracy," Bhattacharya told reporters.He said he could not comment on the absence of police personnel at the spot, calling it an administrative matter."I will not be able to say why police were not there; it is a matter of the administration. I am from the party. What the TMC has done to our party workers all these years cannot be described," he said.Bhattacharya also referred to alleged past attacks on BJP leaders and workers by the TMC."We still remember what they did to Rupa Ganguly, to our leaders in South 24 Parganas district. Today, because we are restrained, that is why the TMC is still there," he added.