Inquisitively, BJP leader J P Nadda pondered if West Bengal’s Chief Executive Mamata Banerjee intends to clinch the Lok Sabha elections through intimidation and coercion, as he lambasted her administration concerning the confiscation of weaponry and munitions by the CBI in Sandeshkhali.

In a formal declaration, he expressed firm belief in the BJP’s prospects of securing more than 35 out of the 42 Lok Sabha constituencies in the region, and conveyed his party’s unwavering support to the Sandeshkhali women purportedly subjected to sexual assault by erstwhile Trinamool Congress potentate Shahjahan Sheikh and his cohorts. Sheikh, presently suspended from the TMC, languishes in the custody of the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), facing accusations of land usurpation by local denizens.

During raids at two properties linked to Sheikh’s confederate, the CBI confiscated firearms and armaments, including a law enforcement revolver and foreign-manufactured weaponry, in connection with the mob assault on an Enforcement Directorate (ED) contingent in January, allegedly incited by Sheikh.

Criticizing the provincial administration, Nadda questioned, “Can Mamata Banerjee secure electoral victory through intimidation and coercion? Should she entertain such a notion, it would be an egregious miscalculation.” He asserted that the populace would administer retribution, emphasizing the BJP’s advocacy for women’s empowerment by nominating a Sandeshkhali assault victim as one of its Lok Sabha contenders.

He asserted that the victims of Sandeshkhali do not stand isolated, drawing attention to nationwide solidarity with their plight. Banerjee, countering on Saturday, refuted the notion of arms and ammunition recovery in Sandeshkhali, contending that the CBI conducted searches sans informing the state constabulary.

Expressing skepticism regarding the enforcement operations, Banerjee insinuated that the confiscated items “might have been clandestinely introduced by central agency personnel.” In the 2019 electoral contest, the BJP clinched 18 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal and has since been vigorously endeavoring to augment its electoral haul in the region.