Arpita Pradhan, wife of incarcerated Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, on Thursday alleged that West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari had “misused power” to put her husband behind bars and implicated him in “false cases” ahead of the October 6 Nandigram bypoll.
Addressing a press conference at Bidhan Bhavan, the West Bengal Pradesh Congress headquarters, Arpita thanked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee for extending support to her husband and urged all opposition parties to join hands against the ruling BJP in the bypoll.
She also announced that she and her daughter would campaign in Nandigram from September 25 on behalf of Milan Pradhan, who is unable to canvass for himself while in judicial custody.
Pradhan was arrested and subsequently remanded in judicial custody till October 5, a day before polling, in connection with multiple 19-year-old cases, including a murder case, related to the 2007 anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram.
His arrest came shortly after Mamata Banerjee announced her faction of the TMC's support for Pradhan in the bypoll following the withdrawal of its own candidate.
“Why was my husband sent to jail just before this election in such an old case? Suvendu Adhikari was also an accused in the same case, so why is he out? This has happened because we are from the opposition,” Arpita said.
She alleged that Pradhan had been implicated in “false cases” because of his political activities and claimed that his imprisonment had affected their family, including their daughter’s schooling.
“He was slapped with false cases since he was fighting for his country and because he stood by his people. He has a family, and our daughter is unable to attend school in the current situation,” she said.
Arpita further alleged that the “real offender” was “roaming free” because he was the chief minister.
“Are we living in a free country? It seems to me that we are living under British rule. I urge the people of Nandigram to stand by me. CM Suvendu Adhikari is misusing his power. This must stop,” she said.
Flanked by state Congress president Subhankar Sarkar and the party’s state observer Prakash Joshi, Arpita also claimed that her husband had remained committed to the Congress despite receiving offers from other parties.
“Milan Pradhan has been involved in Congress politics since his student days. Many of his colleagues switched from one party to another after taking money. But he has remained steadfast in his political beliefs,” she said.
She claimed that Pradhan continued to enjoy support among people in Nandigram.
“Whenever Milan goes to Nandigram, people of all ages, from children to the elderly, surround him. It is such a person who has been jailed just before the election,” she said.
“Because my husband is in jail and cannot take part in the campaigns, my daughter and I have decided to hit the roads on his behalf from September 25. We will start from the Nandigram market,” Arpita said.
Sarkar said everyone who supports the Congress nominee was welcome to join the campaign.
(With inputs from PTI)