From the Diamond Harbour rally, Abhishek challenges Amit Shah: “Home Minister, I’m telling you, it’s getting hot. Keep your head cool, drink plenty of water. And if you have the courage, stay in Kolkata on May 4. We’ll meet after noon.”
The first phase of voting in the West Bengal Assembly Election is over in the hotspot Nandigram. There is intense discussion about who will smile in victory: Trinamool’s Pabitra Kar or BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari. Amidst this, on Friday, Trinamool’s all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee stood at the station crossing in his own constituency of Diamond Harbour, looking ‘super confident’. He claims that Trinamool will win in Nandigram.
Abhishek said, “In the first phase of voting, Trinamool has crossed the century mark. It could be 105 or even 110. I don’t know where it will stop. And I’m giving another good news: Trinamool Congress is winning in Nandigram, be assured. I give my word, Trinamool is winning Nandigram.”
In support of Trinamool candidate Pannalal Halder, Abhishek Banerjee held a roadshow from Kapathat to the station crossing. Crowds of people joined the procession. After the roadshow, in the evening, he held a meeting standing on a vehicle at Diamond Harbour station crossing. From there, he firmly announced Trinamool’s victory in Nandigram. He said, “During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, whatever I said standing right here in Diamond Harbour came true. Whatever I say standing on this soil comes true. Today, I have chosen this very soil of Diamond Harbour to give you good news. In the voting that happened yesterday, in the first phase, Trinamool has crossed the century mark. It could be 105 or even 110. I don’t know where it will stop. And I’m giving another good news: Trinamool Congress is winning in Nandigram, be assured. I give my word, Trinamool is winning Nandigram.”
And then, Abhishek directly threw a challenge at Amit Shah. He said, “Home Minister Amit Shah said in a press conference today that I allegedly abused him. In 15 years of political life, I have never used an abusive word against anyone. On the soil where we were born and raised, goons from Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh come to threaten and intimidate us. Home Minister, I am telling you, you are coming to Bengal and threatening Trinamool. Home Minister, I’m telling you, it’s getting hot. Keep your head cool, drink plenty of water. And if you have the courage, stay in Kolkata on May 4. We’ll meet after noon.”
It is worth noting that in Nandigram this time, it is a contest between the ‘sons of the soil’: Pabitra Kar versus Suvendu Adhikari. Suvendu Adhikari’s political base in Nandigram is not significantly larger than Pabitra Kar’s. He has always been known as a close associate of Suvendu. During the 2021 elections, Pabitra Babu had joined the BJP as a follower of Suvendu Adhikari. But about a year later, disillusionment set in. He became inactive in politics. Their political paths diverged. Just a few hours before the announcement of Trinamool’s candidate list, on March 17, he joined the party under the guidance of Trinamool’s all-India general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. According to political circles, the ruling camp has this time adopted a ‘fight fire with fire’ approach in Nandigram. Naturally, everyone’s attention is now on the election result of Nandigram.
