West Bengal Assembly polls 2021
Mamata addresses TMC rally in Kolkata on wheelchair, her first after Nandigram incident
Kolkata/UNI: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Sunday addressed a TMC rally at Hazra in south Kolkata. The TMC chief said she would not rest any longer because of her injuries and start campaigning across Bengal to prevent the "machinators" from winning the assembly polls.
The 66-year-old TMC leader held a roadshow, rolling on her wheelchair in the heart of Kolkata, from Gandhi Murti in Maidan to Hazra where she addressed the voters.
Ms Banerjee, who is restricted to wheelchair due to the injury she sustained on her left leg while campaigning in her constituency in Nadigram on March 10, said her pain for democracy was greater than her body injury.
She was addressing a TMC rally led by her nephew and Diamond Harbour MP Abishekh Banerjee to mark Krisak Diwas or Nandigram Diwas to commemorate the death of 14 vilagers in Nandigram in 2007.
At the Hazra rally the CM said she would not wait any longer as she has already lost some days and go to Durgapur by helicopter and address a rally there.
She would also address rallies at Purulia sitting on her wheelchair, she added
She claimed that the "machinators" would emerge winners if she took rest for a fortnight as advised by her doctors.
She also raised Trinamool's poll slogan "khela hobay" and warned that an injured tiger was more dangerous that a dead one.
Ms Banerjee said she had been assaulted many times in her political life but never bowed down and she would not do so in future.
The ruling party also postponed the release of its manifesto further, which was scheduled on Sunday, after being postponed two times before.
The TMC supremo was scheduled to release the manifesto at her residence in Kalighat this evening.
Meanwhile, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Sunday ruled out any conspiracy or deliberate attempt by anyone to attack the TMC chief in Nandigram on March 10.
Ms Banerjee had alleged that 4/5 people pushed her to her car and slammed the door and caused her injury in Nandigram's Birulia Bazar.
The EC also slammed the “flippant attitude” of chief minister’s Director (Security) Vivek Sahay.
The commission said Mr Sahay was sitting in the bullet-proof car meant for the VVIP, while the chief minister was using an ordinary car.
“The chief minister flouted the prescribed security norms/protocols, which could have led to tragic consequences,” the poll body said.
West Bengal will go to polls for the first two phases on March 27 and April 1 for 30 seats each in the Jangalmahal, Purulia and Bankura districts.
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