Kolkata, Oct 15 TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on Thursday accused the BJP of undermining democratic rights and restricting peaceful protests, expressing solidarity with the parents of Ankita Bhandari, who were detained by Delhi Police during a demonstration at India Gate.
In a strongly worded social media post, the Diamond Harbour MP alleged that citizens were increasingly facing restrictions on their right to protest peacefully, express dissent and question the government.
Referring to the detention of Ankita’s parents, who were demanding justice for their daughter and raising questions over the alleged VIP angle in her 2022 murder, Banerjee said it was distressing that a bereaved family had to struggle to be heard.
Ankita’s parents were detained along with several Congress leaders during an overnight sit-in at India Gate in the early hours of Thursday. They were subsequently released.
Following his release, Ankita’s father issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Centre to revoke or suspend the appointment of senior BJP leader Dushyant Kumar Gautam as Sikkim governor until the ongoing CBI probe into the case is completed. They have alleged that he was linked to the “VIP angle” in the case.
Ankita, who worked as a receptionist at the Vanantra Resort in Rishikesh, was killed on September 18, 2022. Her body was recovered from the Chilla canal four days later. She was 19.
Resort owner Pulkit Arya, son of former BJP leader Vinod Arya, and two accomplices were convicted in the case and sentenced to life imprisonment.
The case drew political attention over allegations that an unidentified VIP was linked to the crime.
Ankita’s family and activists have called for an investigation into this angle, with Gautam’s name being raised in connection with the allegations.
Banerjee also questioned the BJP’s interpretation of nationalism, alleging that the ruling party expected “citizens to pay taxes and remain silent rather than hold the government accountable.”
“Wave the national flag? Problem. Question the government? Problem. Demand justice? Problem. Express your opinion? Problem,” he said in the post.
He also raised concerns over the electoral process, questioning whether citizens could be confident that their votes would be protected and counted fairly.
He referred to Election Commission officials Gyanesh Kumar and Seema Khanna while flagging what he described as “serious concerns over the conduct of the electoral machinery.”
Alleging that constitutional values and the independence of institutions were under strain, Banerjee said the issue went ‘beyond political affiliations’ and took away the rights of Indian citizens.
He also referred to allegations of misappropriation involving donations made in the name of Lord Ram, accusing the BJP of invoking religion, nationalism and patriotism while failing to uphold the principles it claimed to represent.
Emphasising that the Constitution and the national flag “belonged to the people, not any political party or government,” Banerjee said an elected government was accountable to the country’s citizens and could not treat dissent as a crime.
“This is about being an INDIAN,” he said, adding that citizens must raise their voices to safeguard their democratic choices.
Framing the political contest as one between the country and the BJP, Banerjee concluded his post with the slogan: “It’s INDIA versus the BJP. Raise your voice or lose your choice.
(PTI News)
