'Modi left Bengal in hands of anti-socials, bulldozer-happy politicians': Mamata holds stir against BJP govt

Trinamool Congress supremo and former Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday started a day-long sit in stir in central Kolkata to protest against alleged post-poll attacks on TMC party workers and leaders after the BJP won the state assembly elections on May 4.

Banerjee reached the dharna site at Esplanade after the TMC had said on Monday that the party will go ahead with its planned sit-in here against the alleged attacks on party leaders and workers and the Railways' hawker eviction drive, despite the police denying permission for it.

Speaking at the protest site, Mamata said 'eviction of hawkers without rehabilitation was not TMC govt's policy and her government had taken a humane approach towards it'.

"My regret is those who received my support in their lives now are aligning with a traitor," Banerjee said, in an apparent reference to Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari.

Lashing out at the BJP, the former CM said, "Modi ji has left Bengal in the hands of anti-socials, bulldozer-happy politicians, pushing state into darkness."

"We were not given permission to set up a stage or use microphones," Banerjee said, while addressing the crowd using a megaphone.

She added that the TMC will move court if other parties are allowed to hold political events at venue where we her party was denied permission.

The protest was marked by chaos, with TMC workers shouting slogans amid the former chief minister's speech.

Old guards of the TMC including Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, Derek O'Brien, Kalyan Banerjee and Dola Sen were all present at the protest venue but most of the fresh faces of the party who won the elections earlier last month were conspicuous by their absence.

Amid intense speculations of a impending split in the party, Trinamool Congress leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay asserted that the majority of the party MLAs would remain with former CM Mamata Banerjee and said the TMC's old guard would continue to retain control of the organisation.

Banerjee has said that the protest will continue till the evening as scheduled.