Kolkata: Priyanka Tibrewal, the Bharatiya Janata Party's candidate from the Entally constituency, participated in a large protest on Thursday against expelled Trinamool Congress MLA Sandipan Saha and his father Swarna Kamal Saha, accusing them of land grabbing and extortion. The demonstration took place in the Entally area, where protesters brought two mules with photographs of the father-son duo pasted on them.
Symbolic Protest
Tibrewal explained that the symbolic use of mules was intended to highlight what she described as the exploitation of common people by the two functionaries. The protesters gathered in front of Saha's residence, accusing him and his father, a former Trinamool MLA, of demanding 'cut money' from the public.
“The common people are holding this protest. I have joined them. These are ordinary citizens who feel they have been cheated by Sandipan Saha and Swarna Kamal Saha,” said Tibrewal, who is also a Calcutta High Court lawyer. She alleged that attempts were being made to project Saha in a positive light despite public grievances against him.
Allegations of Looting
“For the past two days, Saha has been trying to portray himself as a saint. People have come out on the streets to question that image and to express their resentment. They believe they have been looted and deceived,” the BJP functionary said. Tibrewal added, “These donkeys that the public have brought are to show that there were two donkeys in Trinamool: Sandipan Saha and Swarna Kamal Saha. These donkey-like people have looted the public's money. Now let them answer why they looted.”
Tibrewal further alleged that the father-son duo had forcibly taken land from ordinary citizens and engaged in extortion. No immediate response from Saha or Trinamool was available regarding the allegations.
Political Turmoil
Tibrewal also commented on the ongoing political turmoil within Trinamool following a rebellion by a section of party legislators. Reacting to the emergence of a new bloc of MLAs backing expelled functionary Ritabrata Banerjee for the post of Leader of Opposition, she said, “This was bound to happen. When a party is formed by taking in thieves, this is what happens.”
Response from Saha's Father
While Sandipan Saha did not speak, his father and former MLA Swarna Kamal Saha hit back at Tibrewal. “She is a rabble-rouser. What is she alleging? Anyone can allege anything against anyone; no one needs proof for it. I woke up this morning to see the demonstrations. I could have also called my people. She is uncouth. She lost the election to my son and missed out on the cabinet, which is why she is resorting to all this,” he said.
Meanwhile, Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee approached the Additional Commissioner of Police (I) at Lalbazar seeking security. They met police officers on Thursday evening and discussed their security concerns.
