A bus carrying supporters of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) encountered an accident while en route to Delhi on Sunday. The TMC, the ruling party of West Bengal, has confirmed that no casualties have been reported, and they have instructed the bus to return to the state.
The bus was transporting supporters from Bengal's Purulia district, who were en route to Delhi for the TMC's planned protest scheduled for October 2-3. This protest is aimed at the BJP-led Centre, accusing it of obstructing funds for Bengal under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA). The TMC had initially requested a special train from the Eastern Railway to transport their supporters to the protest, but the request was denied, prompting them to arrange for bus transportation instead.
The accident prompted a response from Sukanta Majumdar, the president of Bengal's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and a Member of Parliament. Majumdar shared a post on social media with images of the damaged bus and a woman with a bleeding nose. In his post, he criticized the TMC for using buses to transport supporters, contrasting it with TMC leaders who use flights for their travel.
The TMC's MP and national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, revealed that the money deposited with the Eastern Railway had been returned to them. Reportedly, around 50 buses were arranged for the protest to transport nearly 3,000 TMC workers and MNREGA job cardholders from Kolkata to Delhi. These buses, although all equipped with air conditioning and sleeper berths, were described as extremely cramped by passengers.
TMC MP Shantanu Sen expressed concerns that the buses might face security threats in BJP-ruled states. Despite these challenges, the TMC remains committed to its protest in Delhi against the alleged withholding of funds by the Centre. Party leader Banerjee is scheduled to depart for the national capital later in the day.
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