Trinamool plaint after CAPF jawan ‘seen’ with lotus cutouts

Kolkata: Trinamool is set to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission against BJP's Bankura MLA and candidate Niladri Sekhar Dana after a video surfaced where a CAPF jawan in uniform was seen carrying lotus symbol cutouts during his campaign.

Senior TMC neta Partha Bhowmik launched a sharp attack on BJP, terming the incident "disgraceful" and accused the party of undermining the sanctity of uniformed services. "This is what BJP does to personnel in uniform — make them carry party flags and symbols. Can you imagine any Kolkata Police or Bengal Police personnel being made to do such a thing by a Trinamool functionary?" Bhowmik said.

Sources said the incident took place earlier in the day at Machantala in Bankura.


Facing flak, Dana initially denied the allegations but later appeared to defend the act in remarks to a television channel. "Lotus is the symbol of nationalism. Every true Indian should pick up the lotus," he said, drawing further criticism from opposition ranks.

TMC MP Arup Chakraborty described the development as a serious threat to the integrity of the poll process.

BJP, however, rejected the allegation outright. District party president Prosenjit Chattopadhyay dismissed the claims as "completely baseless and politically motivated", accusing TMC of attempting to manufacture a controversy. "Trinamool is trying to spread unnecessary confusion," he said.