Kolkata, 2 September (H.S.) - Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari accused Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee of insulting the Indian Army and demanded her immediate resignation.

Adhikari alleged that Banerjee demeaned the dignity of the armed forces over the dismantling of the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) protest tent at Meyo Road in Kolkata. Taking to social media, he wrote, “Shame on you, Mamata Banerjee. Your audacity to insult the Indian Army has reached a new low.”

He termed Banerjee’s claim—that nearly 200 soldiers fled the spot on her arrival—as the “biggest lie” and a “disgusting attempt” to malign the Army’s honour. “This is the same Army that guards our borders, stands tall in crises, and commands respect globally. Yet you, in your desperate bid to save political face, have stooped to insulting their dignity,” Adhikari said.

Calling the Chief Minister “anti-national,” the Nandigram MLA said that the TMC had illegally occupied Maidan grounds with a temporary structure for nearly a month, despite the Supreme Court’s directive limiting Army permission to just two days. Despite repeated reminders, the TMC refused to vacate, forcing the Army to intervene.

“Your obsession with power has blinded you to the point of disrespecting our soldiers. If you have any dignity left, you must resign immediately,” Adhikari asserted.

Meanwhile, Union Minister and former state BJP president Sukanta Majumdar also hit out at Banerjee, claiming she was rattled after being forced to publish a list of “tainted” candidates in the teachers’ recruitment scam.

“Fearing electoral defeat next year, Mamata Banerjee has lost her sleep. After being exposed in the scam, she is now trying to shift the blame onto others,” Majumdar said.

Notably, on Sunday, the West Bengal School Service Commission (SSC) released a list of 1,806 candidates who were appointed as teachers in 2016, despite being declared unqualified in the examination.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh