TMC Says BJP Planning To Escalate Sandeshkhali Incident, Shares 'Audio Leak' As 'Proof'

Agnimitra Paul said the BJP MLAs would be visiting Sandeshkhali in the coming days and her party would be calling for a CBI investigation on the issue.

Amid the ongoing controversy of Sandeshkhali incident, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has claimed that the BJP is blowing the incident out of proportion and allegledly turning it into a mass movement. 

Mamata Banerjee-led TMC has released an audio of a conversation purportedly between a caller and BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul, where the Asansol South MLA is heard accepting that her party would convert the Sandeshkhali incident "into a mass movement like like Singur or Nandigram."

In the telephonic conversation, the unknown caller asks the BJP leader if they can "turn this into a Singur or Nandigram so that the mass movement can take place," to which Agnimitra Paul said, "We definitely want to do that and we are planning it."

"We are in the planning stage on how to take it forward," Paul added.

She also said that the BJP MLAs would be visiting Sandeshkhali in the coming days and her party would be calling for a CBI investigation on the issue.

While sharing the audio conversation, the TMC said, "BJP MLA Agnimitra Paul has inadvertently revealed that this is just a PR campaign to blow the Sandeshkhali incident out of proportion and, hopefully, turn it into a mass movement like Singur or Nandigram. When did hopeful and naive become the same thing?"

The alleged audio leak by the TMC comes amid BJP MLAs staging a walkout from the assembly demanding a statement from the Chief Minister on Sandeshkhali, which witnessed protests over alleged atrocities on locals by ruling Trinamool leaders.

Agnimitra Paul, responding to the audio leak, said that the party is trying to divert information and added that Mamata Banerjee is silent on the incident.

"TMC is trying to divert attention from Sandeshkhali by promoting misinformation. They came to power saying Bengal wants its daughter but after the election, the thugs of TMC want Bengal's mothers at their party office. Mamata Banerjee is silent despite seeing these," Paul posted on X (formerly Twitter).

Protests persisted in Sandeshkhali for the several days with a significant number of women taking to the streets, demanding the arrest of TMC leader Shajahan Sheikh and his followers.