Ahead of a major free health initiative in Nandigram, a fierce political controversy has erupted, with the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) making serious allegations against the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC). The dispute centers around the Sevaashray free medical camp, scheduled for launch on January 15 by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Adhikari's Explosive Allegations
At a public outreach program in Nandigram on Monday, the local MLA and Leader of the Opposition in Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, issued a stark warning to residents. He cautioned them against participating in the camp, suggesting that the medicines distributed could be intended for birth control.
"We don't know if these medicines have tablets that can lead to birth control," Adhikari stated. He urged people, especially sanatanis, to avoid injections and blood tests at the camp, offering his own assistance for medical tests instead. Adhikari framed the event as a demographic conspiracy, alleging, "They want the Hindu population to deplete. They want Hindus to become a minority community, as it happened in Bangladesh." He further connected the camp to electioneering and past accusations of financial misconduct against the TMC.
Trinamool Congress's Sharp Retort
The Trinamool Congress responded swiftly and aggressively to the allegations. In a post on social media platform X, the party used a common Bengali phrase implying "babbling nonsense" to dismiss Adhikari's claims. Party spokesperson Arup Chakraborty attributed the comments to Adhikari's "nervousness."
Chakraborty argued that the Sevaashray camp was something Adhikari, as the local representative, should have organized but failed to do. "People of Nandigram reached out to us for Sevaashray, seeing what Abhishek Banerjee has achieved in Diamond Harbour. They did not go to Adhikari," he said. The TMC also linked Adhikari's anxiety to a recent incident where his supporters allegedly attacked a tableau showcasing state government schemes, and his unsuccessful attempt to secure their release from police custody.
Political Tensions Reach Boiling Point
This exchange highlights the intensely charged political atmosphere in West Bengal, with Nandigram remaining a symbolic and fiercely contested battleground. The controversy transforms a public health outreach program into a flashpoint for allegations of communal engineering and political desperation. The TMC's Sevaashray initiative, modeled on similar camps in Abhishek Banerjee's Diamond Harbour constituency, is now embroiled in a war of words that underscores the deep mistrust between the two major parties. The incident sets the stage for heightened political mobilization in the region as the state gears up for future electoral contests.
