Trinamool questions authenticity of report on Mamata’s 2021 injury claim

• TMC questions the authenticity of a 2021 radiodiagnosis report cited by Suvendu Adhikari to challenge Mamata Banerjee’s account of her Nandigram campaign injury

• TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh defends Banerjee, while expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee backs Adhikari’s claim and mocks the former chief minister

• Adhikari says the state government will conduct a separate inquiry into Banerjee’s alleged false claim about the injury

The Trinamool Congress on Saturday questioned the authenticity of a radiodiagnosis report cited by West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari to challenge Mamata Banerjee’s account of suffering a leg injury during the 2021 assembly election campaign in Nandigram.

Adhikari, speaking to reporters, made public a radiodiagnosis report from the Bangur Institute of Neurosciences dated 11 March 2021. He alleged that the document contradicted Banerjee’s claim that she had suffered a fracture during the campaign and described her account as fabricated.

Hours after Adhikari released the report, TMC MLA from Beliaghata Kunal Ghosh questioned its authenticity. Ghosh suggested that the document could have been altered, arguing that questions were bound to arise about its credibility as the state government is now run by the BJP.

Ghosh also said that treatment for an injury is determined by doctors and that a fracture does not necessarily mean a patient must have a plaster cast.

“It is up to the doctor concerned to decide whether the injured leg should be bandaged or plastered, as is done in cases of fracture,” Ghosh said.

He accused Adhikari of attempting to target Banerjee personally after failing to challenge her politically.

Banerjee contested the 2021 West Bengal assembly election from Nandigram as the TMC candidate, taking on Adhikari, who had left the TMC and joined the BJP before the polls.

During the campaign, Banerjee was seen with her leg in a plaster and using a wheelchair after reporting an injury. She later lost the Nandigram contest to Adhikari by fewer than 2,000 votes.

Banerjee subsequently contested a bypoll from Bhabanipur in south Kolkata, won the seat and continued as chief minister for a third consecutive term.

While Ghosh defended Banerjee, expelled TMC legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, associated with the party’s “rebel but majority” faction, mocked the former chief minister over the controversy.

Ritabrata said Banerjee should receive a special award for what he described as her ability to “hoodwink” the public. He also sarcastically suggested that the state government organise an award ceremony for her at Kolkata’s Brigade Parade Ground.

Adhikari, meanwhile, said the state administration would conduct a separate inquiry into what he alleged was Banerjee’s false claim about the injury.

The controversy has revived political sparring over Banerjee’s 2021 Nandigram campaign and the circumstances surrounding her reported leg injury. The competing claims over the radiodiagnosis report have not been independently established.

With IANS inputs