"Knows what has happened there": Tripura CM slams Mamata Banerjee for not visiting Sandeshkhali

Paschim Medinipur (West Bengal) [India], May 21 : Tripura Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha launched an attack on West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday for not visiting Sandeshkhali "even after knowing what happened there."
The remarks of Tripura CM come amidst a statement of Mamata Banerjee where she said, "Everyone expects me to visit them during elections...I will definitely go everywhere. I will come to you too, I will visit Sandeshkhali too."
Taking a jibe at the statement of Banerjee, Manik Saha, while speaking with ANI, said, "She (Mamata Banerjee) knows what has happened there...Earlier also, we used to see that whenever any such incident happened in Nandigram, Sandeshkhali or other places, she said that all this was a story, but the public understood everything. This is the public's election, not the party's and the public knows everything."
Sandeshkhali in North 24 Parganas district started hitting the headlines in February this year when villagers, mostly women, came out on the streets against the ruling TMC and Shahjahan, accusing the TMC strongman and his aides of perpetrating gross excesses and atrocities on them while also grabbing their land. Multiple women on the island accused Shajahan and his aides of "land-grab and sexual assault" under coercion.
Shahjahan, the key Sandeshkhali accused, is currently behind bars in connection with the attack on a team of the Directorate of Enforcement (ED) while it was in the process of raiding his residence in connection with the alleged ration scam.
Saha, while holding a roadshow in Paschim Medinipur, also said, "I am going to everyone's place and Prime Minister Narendra Modi has asked to say one thing to everyone: that he has sent us to seek people's blessings...Wherever I have gone, I have seen that people have trust and faith in PM Modi."
A day earlier, Manik Saha had addressed a rally in the Jayanagar Lok Sabha constituency in the district of South 24 Parganas and made a fervent appeal to the voters of West Bengal to oust the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government.
"The Left Front government ruled Tripura for over 30 years. People wanted to oust them but failed. It was only possible, due to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, that we were able to end the misrule of the Left Front. The same situation is happening in West Bengal. People wanted a change and brought the Trinamool Congress, but it was surprising to see that they are similar to the CPI (M). The state is witnessing massive violence during and after elections," Saha had said.
He had also criticised the TMC for its alleged destructive actions, including tearing down BJP flags and attacking party workers. "We have guardians like PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah. In Tripura, during the election campaign, I saw how people support the BJP. In the 2023 Assembly election, not a single instance of violence took place. The time has arrived to oust the TMC from Bengal," Saha urged, encouraging the electorate, particularly the youth, to oppose the TMC's misrule.
The polling for 42 seats of West Bengal is being held across all seven phases. The counting of votes is scheduled for June 4.
In 2019, BJP made strong inroads into TMC's hold in West Bengal, by winning 18 seats and being a close second to TMC, which won 22 seats.