Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], November 12 (ANI): Former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of unleashing a "politics of vengeance", intimidation and persecution in the state following the death of senior TMC leader Ujjal Biswas, aged 72.
In a post on social media platform X, the TMC chief expressed grief over Biswas' demise and alleged that the suffering he endured during the final months of his life reflected the alleged politics of persecution in the state. She asserted that no political rivalry could justify such treatment.
"I am deeply heartbroken by the passing of Ujjwal Biswas. He was far more than a colleague in public life. We shared a close and enduring bond built over many years. As a former Minister, MLA and a dedicated member of the Trinamool Congress family, he devoted his life to the party and, above all, to the service of the people. His unwavering loyalty, commitment and years of selfless service made him an invaluable part of our family. His passing is a deeply personal loss and leaves a void that cannot be filled...What makes his demise even more painful is the ordeal he was forced to endure in the final months of his life..." she wrote.
"His suffering is a chilling reminder of the politics of vengeance, intimidation and persecution that the BJP has unleashed in Bengal. When political loyalty becomes a reason for persecution, when false cases are weaponised to break people’s spirit, and when those who refuse to surrender are made to suffer, it is democracy itself that stands wounded....No political rivalry can justify such cruelty," Banerjee added.
She further alleged that Biswas had been kept behind bars for 49 days after being implicated in what she described as false cases and had faced immense physical and mental suffering during the final months of his life.
Recalling her interaction with the TMC leader, Banerjee alleged that he had narrated instances of torture, humiliation and intimidation that he had faced for refusing to abandon his political convictions or switch political allegiance.
"He was brutally attacked a few months ago. He was kept behind bars for 49 days, implicated in false cases and subjected to immense physical and mental suffering. I still remember when he came to meet me and recounted the torture, humiliation and intimidation he had endured simply because he refused to abandon his political convictions or switch sides. The pain in his words is something I will never forget," the former West Bengal CM said.
Ujjal Biswas, a former West Bengal Minister and senior TMC leader, died at the age of 72 following a prolonged illness. He had been undergoing treatment at a hospital for three weeks and was placed on full ventilator support over the past few days. (ANI)
Mamata Banerjee accuses BJP of "politics of vengeance" following death of TMC leader Ujjal Biswas
