Former Union Minister Yashwant Sinha has slammed the BJP for not sympathising with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee in the aftermath of a violent attack on the Trinamool Congress supremo. Sinha, who spent years with the BJP and held key cabinet portfolios in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, wrote, “Shame on BJP.”
Sinha continued, “Instead of sympathising with Mamata injured in an attack they are making fun of it.”
Doctors treating Banerjee at Kolkata’s SSKM Hospital said that ‘initial examination suggests severe bone injuries in her left ankle, foot and bruises, injuries in right shoulder, forearm and neck.’ “The Chief Minister complained of chest pain, breathlessness since the incident. She is kept under close watch for 48 hours,” Dr Manimoy Bandopadhya, the director of SSKM Hospital, was quoted by news agency ANI.
Meanwhile, a Trinamool Congress delegation led by Rajya Sabha MP Derek O’Brien approached the Election Commission office in Kolkata to file a complaint in the case of the alleged attack on Mamata Banerjee.
Realising the consequences for mocking Banerjee’s injuries, several BJP leaders have changed their public posturing. BJP leader Tathagata Roy said that he wanted to meet Banerjee but ‘couldn’t because that was not medically advised.’ We met Aroop Vishwas ji and asked him to convey best wishes to her,” BJP leader Tathagata Roy told ANI outside SSKM hospital in Kolkata.
They (TMC) are politicizing the issue. However, we believe such incidents should not be politicized. I hope Election Commission will send enough central forces to West Bengal to control the political violence: BJP leader Kailash Vijayvargiya on alleged attack on Mamata Banerjee pic.twitter.com/BUYVZBPPCH
— ANI (@ANI) March 11, 2021
Kailash Vijayvargiya, BJP leader in-charge of West Bengal, too sought to downplay his own party’s earlier criticism as he said, “They (TMC) are politicizing the issue. However, we believe such incidents should not be politicized. I hope Election Commission will send enough central forces to West Bengal to control the political violence.”
Banerjee had alleged that she was attacked in Nandigram on Wednesday night by a group of 4-5 people. She was immediately brought to Kolkata, where she’s undergoing treatment.