Kolkata, June 6 (IANS). Trinamool Congress general secretary and party’s Lok Sabha member Abhishek Banerjee issued a statement on Saturday rejecting claims that he has sought Central Armed Police Force (CAPF) protection for himself. This claim came after the incident when he was attacked by an angry mob in Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district of West Bengal on the afternoon of 30 May.
The information about Abhishek Banerjee seeking CAPF security came to light last week when expelled Trinamool Congress MLA Ritabrata Banerjee mentioned the issue while talking to the media. Ritabrata Banerjee is now the official faction leader of the Trinamool Congress legislative party and the leader of the official opposition in the state assembly.
Ritabrata Banerjee asked at a press conference on the afternoon of June 2, “What kind of a public leader is he? After the party’s massive defeat on May 4, he remained at home for 26 days. Now, he is seeking protection from central forces for himself. He had earlier claimed that the public was there to protect him, so why is he asking for protection now?” There was a lot of discussion about this in the media.
Now on Saturday, Abhishek Banerjee issued a statement on social media denying the knowledge of seeking CAPF protection for himself.
He said, “A section of the media is reporting that I have sought central security after the attack on me in Sonarpur on 30th of last month. This claim is completely baseless and far from the truth. I have not sought any security in the seven days since the attack.
Banerjee said in her social media statement, “This incident happened under the watch of the central and state governments and they will have to answer serious questions about the circumstances surrounding it.”
According to him, what he found most disappointing was that in the last one month, there were many incidents of rape and other horrific crimes against women in West Bengal, but the state administration did not pay any attention to most of these incidents.
His social media statement said, “The first priority of those running the government should be the safety of the people. I appeal to the security agencies of the state and the Center to focus on the safety of the citizens of West Bengal instead of promoting misinformation and things with political motives through some sections of the media. The people deserve security, accountability and truth.”
–IANS
ASH/VC