A calm but firm Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee resumed his Yatra today after halting it on Friday to appear before the CBI in the cash-forjob scam case. After Friday’s sudden halt to his Jono Sanjog Yatra, Trinamul’s chairperson Mamata Banerjee addressed the Patrasayar crowd virtually from Kolkata.
A perturbed Mamata had unleashed threat against the BJP-led Centre, saying, “If any unjust happens to Abhishek, this Nabojoar (new tide) yatra will be transformed into flood.”
Today, a different Abhishek landed here in a chopper from Kolkata and headed straight to meet the bereaved widow and son of Samed Ali Mallik, a party worker who was charred to death after lightning struck during an assembly of the TMC workers and supporters on 30 April evening there.
A ‘cool’ Abhishek met 43 others, who’d suffered burn injuries due to the thunderbolt strike. Abhishek’s return to Bankura renewed TMC supporters, who joined the road show in the afternoon. He said, “On this 26th day of Nabojoar yatra, I’m really feeling blessed with the way the people of Bankura thronged to take part in the yatra from different blocks and villages.”
Abhishek, incidentally was TMC’s in-charge for two consecutive years but the district didn’t reward him adequately, be it in 2019 Lok Sabha elections or in the 2021 Assembly elections. In 2019, TMC was defeated by 2-0 and in 2021, the party lost 8 out of total 12 seats to BJP.
Abhishek took a dig at the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari. He said, “Suvendu had cited that he left the TMC as the booth workers were not given proper respect. He must learn how the common party workers are choosing their leaders in panchayats.