Abhishek Banerjee calls on TMC workers to reclaim Nandigram

NANDIGRAM/KOLKATA: Trinamool national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday vowed to reclaim lost ground in Nandigram, urging party workers to "take responsibility" over the next 25 days while promising to be accountable for the constituency for the next five years.

"Nandigram is my responsibility. All of you take responsibility for the coming 25 days. For the next five years I will be responsible for Nandigram," he said, asking workers to improve performance in booths where the party fared poorly in 2021 and 2024.




Calling it a decisive battle, Banerjee said, "This is a battle to purify the land of Nandigram. Elect Pabitra Kar. Do not be afraid. I am here… We must respond in the language they understand. Not an inch of land will be given up. Fight. Take responsibility… We need to work in the booths where we did not do well in 2021 and 2024. The 2021 Assembly election result case is still pending in court."

In a direct attack on leader of opposition Suvendu Adhikari, Banerjee labelled him an outsider and questioned his presence in the constituency. "We have fielded someone who stays in the area, unlike Suvendu," he said. "The local MLA is nowhere to be seen… Let him provide a work report card for his constituency."

Trinamool has fielded Pabitra Kar, a former aide of Adhikari, in a bid to dent his influence in key panchayat areas. Banerjee's visit to Birulia signalled an aggressive campaign push. The meeting comes days after a special CBI court in Haldia allowed the bail of 20 Trinamool netas, including Abu Taher, Sheikh Sufiyan and Sayem Kazi, to continue, enabling them to take charge of the party's poll machinery. The case relates to the death of BJP supporter Debabrata Maiti in Chillogram following post-poll violence in May 2021. The probe was taken over by the CBI on the orders of the Calcutta High Court, leading to multiple arrests.

Outlining his plans, Banerjee said, "I will do for Nandigram what I have done for Diamond Harbour. Every panchayat will have a service centre… Go to each booth. Make a list of what is needed and what people want… But Nandigram cannot move at a five-kilometre speed; it must run at a 120-kilometre speed like Diamond Harbour… Winning the election here will prevent Delhi from taking control."