Kolkata, 09 April (H.S.): Ananta Deb Adhikari, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate from the Jalpaiguri Sadar Assembly constituency in West Bengal, on Thursday lodged a police complaint against Trinamool Congress (TMC) National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee over alleged derogatory remarks.

Adhikari, accompanied by his legal team, submitted a complaint at the Kotwali Police Station in Jalpaiguri. He alleged that Banerjee’s comments were defamatory, damaged his public image and were intended to mislead voters.

The controversy reportedly stems from an election rally held on Tuesday in Jalpaiguri district, where Abhishek Banerjee had campaigned in support of TMC candidate Krishna Das. During his address, Banerjee allegedly made personal remarks against the BJP candidate, accusing him of frequently being intoxicated, being addicted to alcohol and misbehaving with women.

Protesting the remarks, BJP workers organised a demonstration march in Jalpaiguri town on Tuesday night. Adhikari had earlier warned that legal action would be initiated if Banerjee failed to issue an apology, following which the formal complaint was filed.

Adhikari said he obtained his LLB degree from Jalpaiguri Law College in 2002 and joined the Jalpaiguri Bar Association in 2003. He added that he belongs to the Rajbanshi community and has been associated with the legal profession for many years.

He alleged that the personal attack was deliberately made by Banerjee while campaigning for the TMC candidate to influence voters against him and to create social discord. He maintained that the allegations levelled against him were completely false and defamatory, prompting him to seek legal recourse.

Soujit Singh, a member of the BJP’s legal cell, claimed that Banerjee’s remarks also violated the Model Code of Conduct in force during the Assembly elections and said that the matter has been reported to the Election Commission of India.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh