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Congress leader Udit Raj on Monday blamed West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the situation in the state, alleging that Congress workers are being attacked and prevented from carrying out political activities.
Speaking to ANI, Raj said, "Everyone makes claims, and so will Mamata Banerjee. The situation of Bengal is due to Mamata Banerjee. They attack the opposition and even Congress party workers from time to time... Our party workers even said that they get attacked when they put up the Congress party flag." A day earlier, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi strongly condemned the death of West Bengal Congress worker Debdeep Chatterjee, allegedly by "TMC-affiliated thugs," ahead of the second phase of polling for the Assembly elections and demanded strict and immediate action against those responsible. In a post on X, the Congress leader expressed condolences to the bereaved family. Questioning the timing of the incident, Gandhi described TMC's character as "intimidating, attacking, and eliminating opposing voices." "The murder of Congress worker Debdeep Chatterjee by TMC-affiliated thugs after the elections is utterly reprehensible. My deepest condolences to the grieving family. In West Bengal today, it is not democracy but TMC's reign of terror that prevails. Intimidating, attacking, and eliminating opposing voices after votes are cast--this has become the defining character of TMC," he wrote. The first phase of polling on April 23 saw a staggering 92.35 per cent voter turnout across the State. The high turnout figures underline an active electoral exercise as polling drew to a close amid tight security arrangements across constituencies. The second phase of polling will take place on April 29, and the results will be declared on May 4, along with Assam, Keralam, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry Earlier in the day, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee expressed confidence in her party's electoral prospects, citing overwhelming public support during recent 'padyatras' and 'Janasabhas', and asserted that the "victory of Maa-Mati-Manush" is "a matter of time." In a post on X ahead of the second phase Assembly election, Banerjee said, "The extraordinary enthusiasm, the genuine warmth, the spontaneous emotional outpouring of ordinary people at yesterday's padyatra and janasabhas have moved me in ways that words can only approximate. This is a bond forged over years of standing together through every challenge this land has faced. The victory of Maa-Mati-Manush is no longer a matter of prediction. It is a matter of time." Emphasising Bengal's cultural and historical identity, the Chief Minister said the state has long stood as a "beacon of harmony" and civilisational pride. (ANI)
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