Kolkata: Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly Suvendu Adhikari faced the wrath of the Trinamool Congress on Monday when he visited the damaged area of the Belgachia dumping ground. He was stopped by the police at the entrance. Suvendu claimed that this amounted to a violation of his constitutional rights.
Suvendu tried to push through the police barricade, but a scuffle broke out. He came out and complained, "This is the police commissioner. He made me bleed. Not only me, he made you bleed, too. Do you understand?" Everyone is watching, I am being humiliated in front of everyone. Howrah Commissioner, Mamata's police. I came to stand by the people, and I was stopped."
Suvendu did not stop at expressing his ire and dissatisfaction with the police's work. He said, "Look at what the police have done! What are they doing? You should form a party—the government is not taking care of your family. How will people survive?"
He said several times, "I have given relief to 100 people. I am feeding 500 people." Finally, the police evicted him and his supporters from the area.
Political reactions and legal questions
The BJP leadership said that Suvendu Adhikari staged a normal protest against the ruling party, which is responsible for the plight of the people of the state. They alleged that the excessive use of force by the police is curtailing the rights of the opposition party.
On the other hand, the Trinamool mocked, "After four days, Suvendu Adhikari staged a drama. If he truly cared about standing by the people, he would have taken action by now." A section of the legal community believes that while every citizen has the right to free movement under Article 19(1)(d) of the Constitution, it is the state administration's responsibility to maintain law and order.
