‘Ugly face of BJP’s politics of revenge’: Opposition leaders condemn attack on TMC’s Abhishek

Opposition leaders from across the country, including Congress MP Rahul Gandhi and AAP convenor Arvind Kejriwal, condemned the attack on TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, calling it the “ugly face of the BJP’s revenge politics”.

Stones, eggs and abuse were hurled at the Diamond Harbor MP as he visited Sonarpur town on the outskirts of Kolkata to meet the family of a TMC worker who was allegedly killed in post-election violence. With the help of some aides and journalists, he escaped from the crowd wearing a cricket helmet and was then escorted out of the area by a large contingent of police.

Condemning the attack on her nephew, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee said in her social media post, “MANAGERS HAVE BECOME MURDERERS – shame on you, BJP.” Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that the lack of adequate security for a senior Opposition leader reflected the BJP’s “policy of vendetta and cruelty”.

“The deliberate absence of adequate police protection for a prominent Opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP’s politics of vendetta and cruelty,” he said, urging both the State and the Center to ensure the safety of opposition leaders and prevent such incidents.

Mr Gandhi said the attack on Mr Banerjee was completely reprehensible.

“An attack on a member of parliament is not just an attack on one person; it is an attack on the people who elected him and on democracy, which is our common heritage. This is the ugly face of the BJP’s politics of revenge. Political differences can never justify violence,” he said in his social media post.

“The central government and the West Bengal government must take immediate action against the perpetrators and ensure that no public representative, irrespective of their party, has to worry about their safety. Abhishek ji, my thoughts are with you and your family. I wish you a speedy recovery,” he added.

In a statement on social media, TMC accused the BJP government of failing to maintain law and order.

“BJP makes shocking remarks while brutally attacking a sitting MP; if this is not a premeditated act of political violence, what is?” said the party.

The TMC also targeted Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, claiming that Bengal had witnessed an “alarming breakdown of law and order” within weeks of the BJP taking office.

The party wrote on

“This is the difference between politics driven by compassion and politics driven by hatred. @SuvenduWB, today’s events have once again exposed the type of politics you preside over; a politics rooted in intimidation, violence and vendetta,” he said.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav termed the alleged lack of police protection as a “big conspiracy”.

“The anarchic BJP government in the state has proven that it is capable of nothing but hateful, negative and violent policies by carrying out a life-threatening attack on TMC senior leader Abhishek Banerjee in West Bengal,” he said in a post.

Congress MP KC Venugopal called the attack a “clear example of the BJP’s politics of hatred and violence”.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal also condemned the incident, claiming that the BJP has normalized political violence.

Mr. Kejriwal, former CM of Delhi, praised Mr. Banerjee for visiting the bereaved family despite the hostile situation and accused the BJP of creating an environment of intimidation wherever it came to power.

“Wherever the BJP has come to power, intimidation and violence have taken center stage. The BJP cannot tolerate a strong opposition. West Bengal has become a victim of the BJP’s politics of hate,” he wrote in a social media post.

West Bengal Congress president Subhankar Sarkar said citizens have the democratic right to protest but allowing demonstrations to turn into mass violence would set a dangerous precedent.

“People have the right to protest. But if protests are allowed to turn into mass violence, it will become a threat to everyone tomorrow,” he said.

State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya also condemned the attack but denied any involvement of his party.

“Such incidents are not desirable in a healthy and normal society. The BJP is not involved in this,” he said, adding that the incident could be a manifestation of local anger that has accumulated over the years.

Referring to the attack on a BJP MLA’s convoy in Kakdwip in May 2016, he said, “I cannot say why the police were not there; it is a matter of management. I represent the party. What TMC has done to our party workers all these years cannot be forgotten. We still remember what they did to Roopa Ganguly.”

Mr. Bhattacharya said TMC still exists because the BJP is restricted.

“It should not be forgotten that TMC tried to burn our Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari inside his car in North Bengal. Many of our national party presidents were attacked in this district,” he said.

It was published – 31 May 2026 09:20 IST