<p>Kolkata: Members of the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc on Saturday condemned the attack on Lok Sabha member and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.</p>.<p>Leaders of parties that form the I.N.D.I.A. bloc — of which the TMC is also a part — decried the apparent absence of cops in Sonarpur, where Abhishek was assaulted.</p>.<p>Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the "shocking" assault and said on X: “The deliberate lack of adequate police protection for a prominent Opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP’s politics of vendetta and persecution [sic].”</p>.Congress condemns 'attack' on Abhishek Banerjee, slams BJP's politics of 'vendetta'.<p>“The Government of West Bengal and the Union Government must ensure security for all Opposition leaders and take immediate steps to prevent such attacks. Political differences can never justify any kind of violence [sic],” he added.</p>.<p>Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also took to X to condemn the attack, saying that it proved that BJP was capable of nothing but hate-filled, violent politics.</p>.<p><strong>BJP denies role</strong></p>.<p>However, BJP's West Bengal unit claimed that no party member was involved in the attack.</p>.<p>Bengal BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya also said: "The TMC (leaders) is safe today because we exercised restraint.”</p>.<p>Bhattacharya added that had TMC been in power in the state, 500 BJP workers would have been killed.</p>.<p>He also claimed that had the Congress or CPM come to power, “the one who gave a statement today” would have been lynched.</p>
<p>Kolkata: Members of the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc on Saturday condemned the attack on Lok Sabha member and TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.</p>.<p>Leaders of parties that form the I.N.D.I.A. bloc — of which the TMC is also a part — decried the apparent absence of cops in Sonarpur, where Abhishek was assaulted.</p>.<p>Congress national president Mallikarjun Kharge condemned the "shocking" assault and said on X: “The deliberate lack of adequate police protection for a prominent Opposition leader speaks volumes about the BJP’s politics of vendetta and persecution [sic].”</p>.Congress condemns 'attack' on Abhishek Banerjee, slams BJP's politics of 'vendetta'.<p>“The Government of West Bengal and the Union Government must ensure security for all Opposition leaders and take immediate steps to prevent such attacks. Political differences can never justify any kind of violence [sic],” he added.</p>.<p>Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav also took to X to condemn the attack, saying that it proved that BJP was capable of nothing but hate-filled, violent politics.</p>.<p><strong>BJP denies role</strong></p>.<p>However, BJP's West Bengal unit claimed that no party member was involved in the attack.</p>.<p>Bengal BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya also said: "The TMC (leaders) is safe today because we exercised restraint.”</p>.<p>Bhattacharya added that had TMC been in power in the state, 500 BJP workers would have been killed.</p>.<p>He also claimed that had the Congress or CPM come to power, “the one who gave a statement today” would have been lynched.</p>