NEW DELHI: Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday reacted to the alleged attack on Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s residence, accusing the BJP of disrupting traditional Kali Puja celebrations in the locality ahead of Kali Puja and Diwali.Speaking in Kolkata, Mamata questioned the disturbance caused in an area that serves as a traditional route for several Kali Puja processions.“Tomorrow is Kali Puja and Diwali. Last night, at 2:00 AM, an attack was carried out at Abhishek Banerjee’s house. This is our locality, a route through which many processions of Goddess Kali pass. Why are you causing such a disturbance?” she said.She also alleged that permissions for traditional pujas had been revoked while new celebrations were being allowed, and claimed that local clubs had been prevented from carrying out their activities the previous night.“We are part of the ‘INDIA’ alliance, and this is the reason for their anger,” Mamata added, alleging that the political opposition was behind the hostility.In another statement, Mamata said: “If you have the courage to use a bulldozer, why do you come here at 3:00 in the morning with a gang of thugs to attack a Kali Puja celebration?”The remarks came after Abhishek Banerjee alleged that BJP workers attacked his residence around 2am on Saturday, accusing Kolkata Police of failing to prevent the incident.
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In a post on X, Abhishek claimed the attack took place shortly after he released a video showing unidentified individuals allegedly conducting reconnaissance of his office and residence. He described it as the seventh attempt on his life in the past six months and accused the police and judiciary of failing to act.The BJP rejected the allegations, with West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh dismissing them as an attempt to mislead people.“This is the first time we’ve seen a politician’s birthday being celebrated on the footpath. If someone creates a disturbance, there is bound to be a backlash. Besides, who has the time to kill Abhishek Banerjee? There is nothing left for them to say or do, so they are attempting to mislead people by bringing up this issue,” Ghosh said.