KOLKATA: Two Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of the Parliament (MPs) Aparupa Poddar and Dola Sen were allegedly attacked as they were on their way to Agartala after hoisting the tri-colour in south Tripura on Sunday.
Dola’s secretary was injured after bricks were thrown at their car. The TMC functionaries had arrived in Tripura on Saturday to organise football matches in Agartala under the banner Khela Hobe—the slogan coined and popularised by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee during the recent Assembly elections. The TMC strongly condemned the attack.
“They targeted me. They pelted stones at my car repeatedly. My secretary was injured when he tried to protect me. He was administered eight stitches on his head and doctors of the local hospital prescribed CT Scan immediately,’’ said Dola before flying back to Kolkata on Sunday evening.
The windshield of the car in which they were travelling was smashed in the attack. Taking to Twitter, All India Trinamool Congress Tripura said, “Duare gunda raj @BjpBiplab on full display! Trinamool MPs ATTACKED! No one is being spared, from our workers to our elected public representatives. Meanwhile the Home Minister is simply watching the show! How dare @BJP4Tripura goons attack our workers, our MPs?! Under whose watch is this happening repeatedly?’’
Mamata called Dola assured her that ‘jungle raj’ will not prevail. The alleged attack took place a day after the press conference held in Agartala in which Aparupa, an MP from Hooghly’s Arambagh, was among others who taunted Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Deb saying his days in the position were numbered.
The tussle between the BJP and the TMC supporters in Tripura started emerging after West Bengal’s ruling party initiated a move to expand its foothold in the northeastern state. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s car was attacked recently during his visit to Tripura.