Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma delivered a blistering attack on Mamata Banerjee on Saturday, predicting her political relevance in West Bengal would vanish like air from a punctured tire. Speaking to reporters after his first visit to the state since the BJP’s historic Assembly election victory, Sarma targeted the Election Commission’s recent decision to freeze the Trinamool Congress (TMC) name and its iconic 'Jora Ghash Phul' symbol. The regulator allotted the 'football player' symbol to Banerjee’s faction, 'Mamata All India Trinamool Congress,' while the rival Arup Roy-led group received the name 'Democratic Trinamool Congress' and the 'envelope' symbol.
"The twin flowers are gone. After two days, even the football will be gone," Sarma said, his tone dismissive. He claimed Banerjee would not return to power under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, urging people to stop worrying about her. "Mamata is gone now. She will not come back. If you keep worrying about Mamata, your blood pressure will rise," he added, asserting that Adhikari’s government would focus on development while Banerjee "sits and watches."
The jab extended beyond symbols to Rahul Gandhi, whom Sarma called "completely mad." This followed the West Bengal Police’s arrest of Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypoll. Pradhan was detained on Friday based on four non-bailable warrants dating back to the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition agitation, including serious charges of murder and attempt to murder. Congress leaders, including Gandhi, condemned the move as a "murder of democracy" and a political vendetta by the BJP-led state government.
Sarma dismissed these allegations, questioning why the Congress would field a candidate with such a record. "Did Rahul Gandhi give him a licence to murder?" he asked reporters. "I have read in the newspapers that two or three murder cases were registered against him in 2007. This is a murder case. What kind of party are you running? When the matter comes before the authorities, the police will definitely have to arrest him as it is their duty. That is the law."
The dispute over party names and symbols adds a layer of legal and political uncertainty to the October 6 by-elections for two Assembly constituencies in West Bengal. While the Election Commission’s order seeks to clarify the electoral identity of the warring TMC factions, the intense rhetoric from Sarma and the arrest of the Congress nominee suggest the campaign will be defined by legal battles and personal attacks rather than policy debates.