Kolkata: A bus carrying Trinamool Congress (TMC) workers to New Delhi met with an accident in Jharkhand late last night. No casualties or injuries were reported and the party has asked the coordination in-charge of the bus to immediately return to Kolkata.
Majority of the workers of the bus hailed from West Bengal's Purulia district. The workers were on their way to participate at a protest in Delhi scheduled on October 2-3 against the alleged reluctance of Centre to release funds to West Bengal under various centrally sponsored projects.
After being denied the special train, the TMC leadership decided to send its supporters to New Delhi by buses. Accordingly, 50 buses were arranged to carry workers from Kolkata to New Delhi. MP and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said that the money that they had deposited to the Eastern Railway for carrying the workers was returned.
Condemning the railways for refusing a special train, Banerjee challenged the central government to stop their movement in New Delhi if it could. "We will protest peacefully and democratically in New Delhi on October 2 and 3. Our agitation will continue until funds are released under the schemes. If the BJP government creates obstacles, we will break those obstacles and continue our movement," he had said.
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BJP state president and MP Sukanta Majumdar shared a photograph of an injured passenger and the damaged bus on X. Majumdar criticised the TMC leaders for enjoying the luxury of flights while pushing these workers to risk their lives. Around 3,000 party workers are being ferried in the buses for the demonstration.
