Baharampur: A group of young individuals blocked the vehicle of West Bengal Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in his Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency, chanting “go back” at him on Saturday.
Chowdhury, who is campaigning for re-election in the area, accused the Trinamool Congress (TMC) of orchestrating the incident. He suggested that such tactics were a continuation of behaviors observed during last year’s local elections.
“It’s clearly a tactic to undermine me. The local TMC operatives are attempting to deter people from supporting Congress. They employed similar strategies during the previous civic elections,” Chowdhury explained to the media.
The Congress leader in Lok Sabha recounted that a group of inebriated young men obstructed his car as he was on his way home from a campaign event that afternoon.
“They started shouting ‘Go back, go back!’ When I confronted them to hear their grievances, initially only one appeared, but soon more gathered, making it clear to me that this was a coordinated effort by the TMC. However, they won’t succeed in stopping me like this,” he stated.
Chowdhury reported the incident to the district police superintendent and requested assistance.
In response, the Trinamool Congress denounced Chowdhury’s claims, accusing him of engaging in acts of intimidation.
“The bullying tactics you’re employing in Baharampur are evident to all. It’s clear that the fear of losing the election is driving you to these extremes. But trying to use force to scare our supporters will not be effective,” the party commented on X, alongside a video of the altercation.
SHEER DISPLAY OF HOOLIGANISM BY ADHIR RANJAN CHOWDHURY
Your thuggery in Baharampur won’t go unnoticed. Your fear of losing elections is pretty evident from your actions. But using muscle power to intimidate our workers won’t help you in anyway!
SHAME! pic.twitter.com/eQFgFD0IRD
— All India Trinamool Congress (@AITCofficial) April 13, 2024
The TMC has nominated former Indian cricketer Yusuf Pathan to challenge Chowdhury, who has consistently won the Baharampur seat since 1999.
The election in Baharampur is scheduled for May 13.
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