Bengal BJP chief’s sarcastic invite to Abhishek Banerjee for Falta repoll

NEW DELHI: West Bengal BJP chief Samik Bhattacharya on Sunday said that the TMC has been ‘sent into exile’ by the state’s people and sarcastically invited party leader Abhishek Banerjee to campaign in the Falta constituency ahead of the May 21 repoll.Canvassing for BJP candidate Debanshu Panda, Bhattacharya questioned Banerjee’s absence from the campaign trail despite Falta being part of the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency represented by the TMC leader.“We are missing you terribly. Please come,” Bhattacharya said in an apparent jibe at Banerjee.“The golden household of the golden boys has crumbled. Those who had promised a fight are now practising shadow boxing at home,” he added.The BJP leader alleged that the TMC leadership had disappeared from public view following the party’s electoral setback and claimed the ruling party no longer enjoyed the same organisational strength.“Police are not there, so the leaders are not there. There is no convoy, so there is no roar anymore. Please come to Falta and campaign. Our workers and district leadership will welcome you with flowers and blowing of conch shells,” he said.Mocking the TMC after the election setback,, Bhattacharya said, “Someone once said DJs would play after the results. I had said harmonium and jal tarang could also be played. Now all of it is being played inside homes.”A day earlier, BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had campaigned in Falta and claimed that the repoll would ‘re-establish voter rights where people have not been able to vote for 10 years’.Bhattacharya also asserted that BJP workers had continued their political fight in South 24 Parganas and Diamond Harbour despite alleged intimidation over the years.Expressing confidence about the repoll outcome, he said the BJP should target a victory margin of over 1.25 lakh votes for candidate Debanshu Panda, going beyond the one lakh margin suggested earlier by Adhikari.The Bengal BJP chief also appealed to TMC workers to campaign freely without fear.“Come out without hesitation, organise rallies and meetings. There will be no attack from the BJP’s side,” he said.In a political outreach to minority communities, Bhattacharya said the BJP had no quarrel with ordinary minority citizens and claimed a BJP government would create employment opportunities in South 24 Parganas.The Election Commission had countermanded the Falta election held on April 29 following allegations of large-scale irregularities, including claims of EVM tampering and voter intimidation.