Sandeshkhali in West Bengal has been engulfed in turmoil for weeks, with allegations of sexual atrocities against women and land-grabbing cases involving Mamata Banerjee’s close aide and Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, Sheikh Shahjahan. He is the same person whose goons attacked the NIA team during a raid in Sandeshkhali related to the Ration Distribution Scam.
Despite the BJP leaders expressing a desire to visit the area and meet the victims, entry was denied by Mamata’s police. The situation deteriorated to the extent that only after the Calcutta High Court’s intervention, Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari could finally visit the location.
During a telephonic interview with Organiser Special Correspondent Nishant Kumar Azad, Bengal’s Leader of Opposition and BJP Leader Suvendu Adhikari shared, “The experiences recounted by local women are spine-chilling. Their land has been seized, and women have been exploited, all with the assistance of the police and administration.”
Sadeshkhali has become a critical issue. BJP also raised it in its National Convention. How do you see these developments?
See, this is not a political issue! The people of Sandeshkhali have exposed the real and horrific picture of Bengal. The perpetrators are goons, hoodlums, and a few “anti-national” elements whom the Trinamool Government has nurtured. These people are flourishing under the protection of Mamata Banerjee, and they not only dominate the area politically, but these people are also tormenting the local Hindus, which includes SC/STs. The local women have been physically harassed frequently. The sorry situation has come to light now but it has a decade-long history. We are thankful to the Enforcement Directorate (ED) that the crimes of Sheikh Shahjahan are now out in the open. We are a party which is committed to the idea of Dr BR Ambedkar, and every karyakarta of the party stands with the Dalits and tribals of Bengal, who are being subjected to such humiliation by TMC. I especially thank the PM and the party’s national president for raising the issue during the national convention. The nation is with the victims of Sandeshkhali.
The victims of Sandeshkhali are demanding the President’s rule in Bengal, claiming that they have no faith in the State Police. What is your take on their demand?
As a political party, we never favour imposing Article 356. Imposing President Rule in a State to expel an elected Government is ‘Congress Culture’. In the last ten years, BJP did not impose Art 356 even in Jammu & Kashmir, except for the issue of abrogating Article 370. However, it is true that society is demanding it. There is a lot of weight in the demand because of the complete breakdown of Constitutional machinery in the State. The National Commission for Women (NCW) and the National Commission for Scheduled Castes (NCST) have also advocated for the President’s rule. I, the Leader of the Opposition, have been suspended from the Assembly on multiple occasions. Think about the plight of the common people. We have not been allowed to raise the issue of corruption in the Bengal Govt and how the Labharthi (beneficiary) scheme of the Union Govt have not been allowed to reach the targeted population. The media is under attack too. A media person was arrested and multiple FIRs were registered against him because he exposed the State Government in Sandeshkhali. All the four pillars of democracy are under attack in Bengal. It is Fascism at its worst!
It is unfortunate that in the land of Swami Vivekananda, Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur, and Netaji Bose, where Maa Kali is worshipped and Maa Durga is our cultural identity, women have become so vulnerable and are being subjected to abuse and violence on a scale which is unprecedented. What is most appalling is the fact that State machinery is standing with the perpetrators and not the victims
Mamata Banerjee has alleged that both the BJP and the RSS are trying to instigate people in Sandeshkhali and are trying to make it an Adivasi versus minority issue. How do you react to this allegation?
This allegation is baseless. Mamata Banerjee excels in communal politics. She is involved in scaremongering and frightens Muslims in the name of NRC. BJP and RSS do not do all these things. We are witnessing the growing strength of RSS in the land of Dr Syama Prasad Mookerjee. And this has made Banerjee more desperate.
It is alleged that atrocities against women have become a common phenomenon under the Mamata Government. Whether it is a case of post-poll violence or now, women are always on the target. How do you see it?
It is unfortunate that in the land of Ramkrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, Gurudev Rabindranath Thakur, and Netaji Bose, where Maa Kali is worshipped and Goddess Durga is our cultural identity, women have become so vulnerable and are being subjected to abuse and violence on a scale which is unprecedented. This is the doing of certain “anti-national” people who have hijacked the political space because of the minority appeasement of Mamata Banerjee. Thugs and hoodlums have found political patronage, and they are attacking Hindu sisters by design. What is most appalling is the fact that State machinery is standing with the perpetrators and not the victims.
Sheikh Shahjahan has been on the run since the ED raid. The DGP is saying that the police cannot arrest him. Is there any local information about his whereabouts?
My impression is that he has not run away. He is still hiding in Sandeshkhali, which has a very different demography. I think the DGP Rajeev Kumar is turning his eyes away from this fact because Shahjahan is a pawn of the communal politics of Mamata, and she won’t leave a single stone unturned to garner minority votes during the Lok Sabha election.
Sheikh Shahjahan is involved in multiple crimes. He is involved in smuggling FCI foodgrains to Bangladesh and a main accused in the ration scam. He has grabbed lots of land, especially of Hindus and is involved in looting govt funds with the help of State Machinery. A rough estimate suggests that he owns assets of Rs 500-600 cr. He has almost become the local “Dawood Ibrahim”
Can you shed light on Sheikh Shahjahan. What kind of activities is he involved in?
He is involved in multiple crimes. He used to be a CPM leader and then he joined TMC in 2013 and was made the block president. He heads the Irrigation and Fishery departments in the North 24 Pargana district. His brother is a panchayat pradhan, and the whole family occupies the panchayat there. They are involved in smuggling foodgrains Bangladesh supplied by the Union Government through Food Corporation of India (FCI). He is involved in the ration scam. He has grabbed lots of land, especially of Hindus. He is also involved in looting government funds with the help of State bureaucrats. A rough estimate suggests that he owns assets of Rs 500-600 crores. He has almost become the local “Dawood Ibrahim”.
BJP is confident to cross the 370 seats mark in Lok Sabha polls, saying it will be a tribute to Syama Prasad Mookerjee. So how many seats will the BJP win in Bengal this time, and what kind of preparations has the State unit made?
BJP’s preparation is very good. Eighty per cent of the booths have organisational setup ready. I don’t want to get into speculation, but we are working very hard. Our target is 35 out of 42 seats.
Many MPs, MLAs, and workers from other parties are joining the BJP across the nation. Will we see something similar in Bengal?
Many old-timers of Left and Congress are in touch with us and willing to join BJP. But we will go ahead only after building a consensus with the party workers as there are two thoughts among the karyakartas about taking leaders from other parties. We will take only those who have a good reputation.
There was an allegation against the BJP when post-poll violence occurred, the party did not stand with its supporters. How do you see this allegation?
Look, we, as a party, have a limitation. Post-poll violence was a law and order issue and the State Govt had to be held responsible for it. But we never left our supporters unguarded. The party was always standing with them. Top leaders like JP Nadda ji and Bhupendra Yadav ji toured Bengal on multiple occasions to address the issue. We built 355 safe houses and made the arrangements with all the necessary amenities. We also provided medical facilities to those who had to leave their homes. We also fought the legal battle effectively. Hon. Kolkata High Court and NHRC intervened. The CBI lodged some 61 FIRs on the direction of Kolkata High Court. Then Governor of Bengal, Shri Jagdeep Dhankar, went on extensive relief tours. Our party karyakartas from neighbouring States of Bihar and Assam also provided shelter to the victims. Despite all these hardships, we have carried on the fight, and people can see the result of how the BJP won more than 11,000 seats in the Panchayat elections, more than double the last time.
