Bengal: Mamata's speech disrupted by BJP's loudspeakers 100m away
What's the story
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was forced to cut short her speech at a rally in Bhabanipur on Saturday. The disruption was caused by loudspeakers from a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rally just 100 meters away. Banerjee accused the BJP of "They are trying to deliberately engage in a quarrel. They are shouting in the vicinity so that I can't hold the meeting..." and apologized to her supporters before leaving the stage.
Rally reschedule
TMC to hold another rally on Monday
In her speech, Banerjee said, "They are trying to deliberately engage in a quarrel. They are shouting in the vicinity so that I can't hold the meeting." She promised to hold another rally in the area on Monday. After her departure, Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers marched toward the BJP rally site, leading to clashes between supporters of both parties.
Rally clashes
Suvendu Adhikari blames Mamata for chaos
The situation escalated as TMC workers and BJP supporters clashed, leading to a war of slogans. Security forces intervened to control the situation. Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP candidate contesting against Banerjee in Bhabanipur, blamed her for the chaos and vowed that his party would respond to what he termed "goonda raj" with a "befitting reply."
Accusations exchanged
BJP leader Amit Malviya reacts to incident
BJP leader Amit Malviya also commented on the incident, posting a video and accusing Banerjee of losing her composure over fears of an impending defeat. "When leaders start losing composure, it often reflects deeper anxiety, Is this the sound of an impending defeat?" he wrote on X. Bhabanipur is a TMC stronghold and Banerjee's backyard, where she has won three times since 2011. The constituency will go to polls on April 29 as part of West Bengal's Assembly elections.