Kolkata, Sep 1 (IANS) Amid the row that erupted after the Indian Army on Monday allegedly dismantled a Trinamool Congress demonstration stage in Kolkata’s Maidan area falling under the jurisdiction of the Army’s Eastern Command, the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of unnecessary defaming the force on the issue.

“Your audacity to defame the Indian Army, the pride of our nation, is a new low. We always knew that you were an anti-national. However claiming that 200 brave Army personnel ‘ran away’ when you arrived at the Maidan is not just the biggest lie you ever uttered, it’s a disgusting attempt to tarnish the honour of our Armed Forces, whose courage and sacrifice are unmatched,” the LoP claimed in a social media post that he made after the Chief Minister made of a lot of hue and cry on the issue.

According to Adhikari, Trinamool Congress’s temporary structure in the Maidan area, which had allegedly been occupying public land for nearly a month, violated the Indian Army’s clear two-day permission, as mandated by the Supreme Court.

The LoP added that despite multiple reminders, Trinamool Congress arrogantly refused to remove that illegal temporary structure, which ultimately forced the Army authorities to step in after intimating the Kolkata Police. “And now, instead of owning up to your party’s defiance, you spin a false narrative to save face. This is shamelessness,” Adhikari said.

According to him, Mamata Banerjee’s obsession with power had blinded her to the point of disrespecting the country’s Jawans. “You have insulted not just the Army but every Indian who holds them in reverence. Your insulting words are an attempt to degrade their valour. Resign immediately if you have any shred of dignity left,” the LoP claimed.

“This is the same Army that protects our borders, stands tall in crises, and commands respect worldwide. Yet, you, in your desperate bid to project yourself as a “street fighter,” have stooped to insulting their dignity for cheap political mileage,” the BJP leader said, targeting the Chief Minister on the issue.

–IANS

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