'Even During Emergency...': Suvendu Adhikari Targets Bengal CM Mamata After Cops Deny Him Entry To Raj Bhavan

BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was denied entry to Raj Bhavan in Kolkata, Bengal, to meet the Governor. Cops said that due to Section 144 restrictions, he can't go to the gates of the Governor House.

Suvendu Adhikari after being stopped outside Raj Bhavan in Kolkata. ( Image Source :PTI )

West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday slammed the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led administration after being denied entry to Raj Bhavan to meet the Governor. Suvendu Adhikari had gone with victims of post-poll violence to meet Governor CV Ananda Bose. The police said that Section 144 of the CrPC had been imposed around the Governor's residence and that is why Adhikari was stopped, reported news agency PTI.

“I have been waiting for more than an hour, yet the police refuse to let us in. The Governor had given me an appointment, and the police defied his instructions. I also contacted the Governor’s office. Since the police have blocked my entry, the Governor’s ADC informed me that a report has been requested from the state government,” Suvendu told reporters outside Raj Bhavan.

#WATCH | Kolkata: West Bengal LoP Suvendu Adhikari reached the Raj Bhavan along with victims of post-poll violence.

He says, "For the first time after independence, we have been stopped outside Raj Bhavan. They didn't let the LoP go in. The Governor called in the victim with… pic.twitter.com/mVgsGUippO

— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2024

He said that this was the first time after Independence that such an incident had happened in Bengal. "They didn't let the LoP go in. The Governor called in the victims with written permission. Two hundred victims with LoP had come here. This didn't happen even during the Emergency. She [CM Mamata Banerjee] thinks that since they have won 29 seats, there is no other party in Bengal. But 2.35 lakh voters voted in favour of BJP. As many as 39% of the people voted for the BJP."

Saying that the Opposition is powerful in Bengal, Suvendu alleged: "They [TMC] want to finish the Opposition. The public is not with them. They won only because of Muslim votes and rigging."

He further said that he would challenge the Kolkata Police’s decision to stop him in the Calcutta High Court.

Adhikari sought to meet Governor Bose to seek "justice" for the purported "victims of post-election violence" and help them return to their homes. However, as his convoy approached the Raj Bhavan, they were stopped by police citing the restrictions under Section 144, reported PTI.

Clarifying that the group was not staging a rally, Adhikari said: "We brought around 200 victims of post-poll violence, whom the Governor permitted to visit the Raj Bhavan."

Displaying images of the victims, Adhikari vowed to take the issue to the Calcutta High Court. “We have secured a significant number of votes and 12 Lok Sabha seats in Bengal. The TMC government cannot act in such an authoritarian manner, denying us entry to the Raj Bhavan while the police control the area outside the Governor’s House,” he argued.

Another BJP leader slammed the police for "double standards". “It’s confusing how there seem to be two sets of rules. Last year, Abhishek Banerjee held a sit-in outside Raj Bhavan without any issue over Section 144. Bit when we try to meet the Governor, we face prohibitory orders,” the leader was quoted by PTI.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh refuted the BJP's allegations of post-poll violence by TMC. He said: "TMC has not engaged in post-poll violence. In fact, our workers have been attacked in areas won by the BJP. In Khejuri, Purba Medinipur district, TMC workers have been beaten and made homeless."