Current affairs

Mamata Banerjee is in hospital...How her claim of 'attack' stirred a clash of 'Conspiracy vs Drama'?

By alagu, 11 March, 2021
Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal, BJP, Legislative elections

What's going on in West Bengal? This has been a question across the country as the state has been unfolding shocking developments and political events amid the heated political race between the state ruling Trinamool Congress and the central ruling BJP ahead of the assembly polls. In an unprecedented fashion, West Bengal will be going through the elections in eight phases from March 27 to April 29.

The election schedule has revealed how riskier would it be in contesting the polls in a single phase for 294 assembly seats. The race is between Mamata's Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP and amid the aggressive campaigns, the nation had witnessed a shocking development on Wednesday after Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was hospitalized due to the injury she sustained on the campaign trail. Mamata Banerjee has on Wednesday said that she got injured in one of her legs after being pushed by some people during the election campaign in Nandigram. According to reports, the incident happened in the evening hours of Wednesday when Banerjee was standing outside a temple in the Reyapara area and it has happened hours after she filed her nomination to contest from the Nandigram constituency. 

She said, "I was standing outside my car with the door open. I was going to a temple there to offer prayers. Few people came near to my car and pushed the door and the door hit my leg". Addressing the reporters, she said that there was no police personnel present at the spot when the incident had happened and further added that her leg has got swollen due to the injury and she also had developed a fever. 

Following the incident, she had returned to Kolkata and was admitted to the state-run SSKM hospital for further treatments. The visuals had shown she was carried by her security guards and placed on a stretcher and moved into the hospital. Hundreds of TMC supporters had gathered before the hospital and they were raising slogans against the BJP. The series of developments unfolded by poll-bound West Bengal had shocked the nation and several national leaders had reacted to the incident that happened to a Chief Minister. 

The TMC had alleged the role of conspiracy behind the incident. TMC Spokesman Debangshu Bhattacharya said that the security lapse had happened just a day after the Election Commission replaced the state's director general of police. As Mamata Banerjee was hospitalized, West Bengal Governor Jagdeep Dhankhar, who observe a souring relationship with the Chief Minister, had come to the hospital to visit her. However, he wasn't given a red-carpet reception but he had braced up the protests from the TMC supporters. 

When Jagdeep Dhankhar arrived at the hospital, the TMC supporters, who were gathered there, had raised slogans against the Governor demanding to go back from the hospital. There were also allegations that shoes were thrown at Dhankhar's car, displaying the unprecedented events that showcased appalling developments from the state that is two weeks away from hosting the crucial assembly polls. 

TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekar Ray said, "Mamata had visited several places of Nandigram after filing nomination at Haldia and she had offered Puja in the temples in the area. At around 6.15 pm, when she was about to leave Birulia Anchal after performing Puja in a temple, a few unknown people pushed her to the car and they forcibly shut the door due to which she had sustained injuries in her left leg and she also had suffered severe pain in the waist". The preliminary investigation from the hospital said that injuries were detected in her left ankle, foot, right shoulder, forearm, and neck. 

The reports say that Mamata is still in the hospital and will be under observation at least till Thursday evening. A team of five senior doctors has been monitoring her health. According to PTI, the doctors said that Mamata had complained of chest pain and breathlessness since the attack. While the TMC supporters claimed that the attack was plotted, the opposition parties in the state including BJP, Congress, and Communist had labeled the incident as 'drama'. 

The BJP unit in West Bengal said that Mamata Banerjee was making allegations to earn sympathy. West Bengal BJP Vice President Arjun Singh said that a huge police convoy accompanies the Chief Minister and no one can get near her. Congress Lok Sabha leader and state unit President Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury called it as nothing but a gimmick to gain sympathy and another Congress leader claimed that Mamata was acting. Marxist Communist leader Salim wrote on Twitter, "Staged drama. So obvious", without mentioning Mamata Banerjee. The reports say that the Election Commission has sought a report from the state Chief Secretary about the incident and the Governor has also sought a report from the state government. 

 

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