Nandigram/Kolkata: The Nandigram nominee of Mamata Banerjee ’s Trinamool, Sanchita Pradhan Dey, withdrew her candidature on Friday and cops arrested Congress candidate Milan Pradhan an hour later over allegations dating back to 2007, prompting all non-BJP parties to accuse state agencies of blatantly skewing the Oct 6 bypoll in BJP ’s favour.
An hour later, around 5 pm, Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was rounded up from Nandigram. Sonachura resident Pradhan was a key figure in the 2007 Nandigram anti-land acquisition movement. In his election affidavit, he listed 12 criminal cases from 2007, including four murder cases filed by then Left Front govt. All 12 cases are pending before the Haldia chief judicial magistrate’s court.
Mamata All India Trinamool Congress launched an attack on BJP and EC following Pradhan Dey’s withdrawal decision.
We may support our allies and natural coalition partners, but we can never support political opportunism, betrayal or attempts to destroy democratic institutions,” Mamata said. Sources said the schoolteacher, who had publicly pledged to stand by her party amid the current turmoil, had gone to meet the CM to seek his blessings. Ritabrata Banerjee said his party had lodged a case against Pradhan based on pending warrants against him. Rahul Gandhi said, “The arrest of Congress candidate Milan Pradhan… is no coincidence — it is political vendetta and the murder of democracy… State Congress president Subhankar Sarkar said an EC official told him he was unaware of Pradhan’s arrest.
The decision left Mamata All India Trinamool Congress, the new name allotted by Election Commission to the Trinamool faction led by the former CM, without a candidate in the bypoll in the CM’s backyard and prompted it to back the Congress nominee. But soon after, cops arrested Pradhan on charges dating back to a time when Left Front was in office in Bengal. “We will not surrender to BJP at any cost. Arvind (Kejriwal), too. We can support our sister party and the natural ally, but not this nasty, highly loaded virus,” she added. “We had decided on our own to support Congress in Nandigram. They (Congress) were not aware of our decision. Charges have not been framed in any. Congress seniors slammed the arrest. BJP has no faith in fair elections…
“Rahul Gandhi called on Thursday.