“Mamata biggest beneficiary of Nandigram movement,” Suvendu attacks TMC on Martyrs’ Day

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari launched a sharp attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress during the Martyrs’ Day observance of the Nandigram movement at Sonachura. Paying tribute at the martyrs’ altar, Adhikari said Mamata Banerjee emerged as the biggest political beneficiary of the historic agitation.

Recalling the violence of January 7, 2007, when protesters including Salim, Bharat and Biswajit were killed near Bhangabera Bridge during the land acquisition movement, Adhikari said the sacrifices of the martyrs were used for political gains. He alleged that Banerjee built her political rise on the blood and sweat of those who lost their lives.

Hitting back at allegations of betrayal against him, Adhikari said Trinamool leaders label him a “traitor” while ignoring what he called Banerjee’s own history of betrayal. He claimed that she had earlier betrayed former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, asserting that the real betrayal lies with her, not him.

The BJP leader further accused the Trinamool Congress of losing its grassroots support in Nandigram. He warned that displaying pictures of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee on the martyrs’ platform was disrespectful and claimed it would be the party’s last such programme there. According to him, placing leaders’ portraits instead of martyrs’ images insults their sacrifice.

Describing himself as a selfless participant in the movement, Adhikari said he spent nights at the martyrs’ memorial without seeking personal benefit. Calling himself a “relative of Nandigram,” he said he would settle there once the proposed Ram temple in the area is completed, reiterating his emotional and political claim over Nandigram’s legacy.