The recent physical assault on Abhishek Banerjee, Trinamool Congress General Secretary and Lok Sabha member, in Sonarpur has drawn widespread condemnation from West Bengal’s political factions. Despite unified denouncement of the violence, responses diverged on the broader political context and security arrangements preceding the incident.
While opposition parties like the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPI-M) described the attack as regrettable, they also recalled Banerjee’s provocative speeches during election rallies. Both parties highlighted an FIR filed against him for such statements, framing the assault within a climate of heightened political tension. BJP’s State President Samik Bhattacharya emphasized restraint, urging citizens to avoid vigilantism. He also pointed to the state government’s responsibility for police absence during the attack and cited previous violent episodes involving Trinamool Congress activists.
The CPI-M echoed concerns over Banerjee’s pre-election rhetoric, stressing that while the assault was unacceptable, his threatening public statements were equally problematic, particularly given his extensive security detail as an MP. CPI-M’s Md. Salim suggested the attack might be politically motivated, aimed at sustaining Trinamool Congress’s prominence in West Bengal politics.
From within Banerjee’s own party, State Trinamool Congress General Secretary Kunal Ghosh condemned both the violence and the withdrawal of Banerjee’s security by the state government, drawing parallels to the past revocation of protection for former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi. Ghosh raised serious questions about the police’s failure to prevent or intervene in the prolonged assault. Following the incident, Banerjee was escorted out of Sonarpur by police and Central Armed Police Forces personnel, despite continued unrest from protesters.