Was shot at in Nandigram during campaigning, says Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata, 9/3: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday alleged that she was shot at in Nandigram during the Assembly polls last year.

Banerjee, who contested from Nandigram in East Midnapore, lost to the BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari.

“I was not allowed to campaign. I was shot at in Nandigram. There was adjustment to defeat me there. Those who conspired against me should now apologise to the people!” the Chief Minister said in her reply to the debate on the Governor’s Address, but did not elaborate about the nature of “adjustment” and the people involved in the conspiracy.

In the Nandigram constituency, Banerjee lost to Adhikari by mere 1,956 votes. The Trinamool Congress has approached the court challenging the result, and the case is still pending. Meanwhile, she contested from the Bhabanipur constituency in the by-election and won by a record margin.

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In her reply to the debate on the Governor’s address, she alleged that all arrangements were made to assassinate her at Nandigram.

The Governor’s Budget speech saw a lot of controversies after BJP MLAs demonstrated in the Assembly following which the Governor failed to complete his speech.

BJP MLAs Mihir Goswami and Sudip Mukherjee were suspended from the Assembly session on charges of disrupting the Governor’s speech.

Though the BJP did not raise any protest during the Chief Minister’s speech in the Assembly, later in the day, Adhikari, who is the Leader of Opposition, responded to the allegations outside the house. “Actually, the Chief Minister cannot forget the pain of losing in Nandigram! That is why she is saying this again and again out of frustration. If she has any complaints then the government should investigate. After all, she only runs the administration!” he said.