Riju Dutta, a suspended Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader, said Suvendu Adhikari prevented the deaths of at least 5,000 party workers [1].
The statement highlights deepening fractures within the West Bengal political landscape, where a former party spokesperson is now praising a political rival as a protector of the rank-and-file.
Dutta, who previously served as a spokesperson for the TMC, made the comments in a video released on May 7, 2024 [1]. He linked the potential loss of life to a violent incident that occurred the previous day. Dutta said that on May 6, 2024, Adhikari's personal assistant was shot [1].
According to Dutta, the intervention of Adhikari following that shooting was the only factor that stopped a larger massacre of party cadres. "Suvendu Adhikari has saved the lives of at least 5,000 Trinamool Congress workers," Dutta said [1].
He further explained the urgency of the situation in a separate interview. "His PA was shot on May 6. If he had not stepped in, 5,000 workers would have died," Dutta said [2].
The comments position Adhikari as a stabilizing force amid the volatile intra-party tensions in West Bengal. By claiming that 5,000 workers [1] were spared from death, Dutta has shifted his public alignment away from the current TMC leadership and toward Adhikari.
This public reversal follows Dutta's suspension from the party. The specific nature of the intervention by Adhikari that saved these workers was not detailed in the statements, but the timing directly follows the attack on Adhikari's staff [1].
“"Suvendu Adhikari has saved the lives of at least 5,000 Trinamool Congress workers."”
This development signals a significant shift in the internal dynamics of West Bengal's political machinery. When a former high-ranking spokesperson like Riju Dutta publicly credits a political opponent with saving thousands of his own party's workers, it suggests a collapse of trust in the TMC's own ability to protect its cadres. It also provides Suvendu Adhikari with a narrative of benevolence and leadership that transcends party lines, potentially weakening the TMC's grip on its grassroots support.
