KOLKATA: West Bengal's Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Saturday accused former chief minister Mamata Banerjee of making “false claims” about a leg injury during the 2021 Assembly election campaign and said his government would conduct a fresh probe into the matter.
Addressing a press conference at the state secretariat Nabanna, Adhikari said the investigation would be initiated after the October 6 bypolls in Nandigram and Rejinagar Assembly constituencies.
“Mamata Banerjee faked her leg injury during campaigning in Nandigram in 2021. We have the medical report which stated that there was no evidence of fracture or dislocation. We will initiate an investigation into the matter,” Adhikari said, displaying a medical report issued by the Bangur Institute of Neuroscience.
“Her false allegation insulted the people of Nandigram. I will come out with more details after the MCC (Model Code of Conduct) is lifted after October 9. Today, I am saying this in support of my claims made yesterday,” he said.
Adhikari had made the allegation at a rally at Birulia Bazaar in Nandigram II development block of Purba Medinipur, the same location where Banerjee was injured five years ago.
On March 10, 2021, Banerjee sustained injuries to her left leg and waist in the Reyapara area of Birulia during her election campaign. She was contesting against Adhikari from Nandigram, his home turf.
Banerjee initially said that unidentified people had deliberately pushed her against the open door of her car, causing it to slam into and crush her left leg amid a heavy crowd. In a subsequent video message from the hospital, she said the crowd had pressed against her car while she was greeting supporters, causing the injury.
After undergoing tests, she was discharged on March 12 with her left foot in a cast and continued campaigning in a wheelchair.
The Trinamool Congress won 216 of the 294 seats in the 2021 Assembly elections, while the BJP secured 77. Banerjee, however, lost the Nandigram seat to Adhikari by around 2,000 votes.
