Touch and go: Mamata at the hospital

Nandigram, May 9: Mamata Banerjee’s supporters accused her of being stuck to Calcutta at a time of their suffering when she visited the Nandigram block hospital today to see villagers allegedly attacked by CPM supporters over the past week.

Abha Rani Bera, a Trinamul Congress candidate from Kendamari, was with her brother Madhusudan, who lay on the hospital floor with his head swathed in bandages, when she walked in.

“We are being beaten up by CPM cadres and hundreds of people are not being able to return home. But you leaders are sitting tight in Calcutta doing nothing,” the 40-year-old woman shouted at her party chief.

Madhusudan, 27, was hospitalised with a fractured skull after alleged CPM cadres hit him for refusing to join their procession.

“We neither have shelter nor food. We don’t know when we are going to return home. When you can’t protect your supporters, leave the party,” fumed Abha.

Mamata moved on towards other patients, turning her back towards Abha.

Two Trinamul supporters from Southkhali also gave her a piece of their mind.

Debabrata Mondal, 19, and Banabehari Mondal, 30, were lying on concrete platforms meant for patients’ relatives with bruises all over their bodies.

They, too, were beaten up when they refused to walk in a CPM procession.

Banabehari did not shout at Mamata, but made it clear that it was time she did something instead of just showing sympathy. “Please do something for us. If you can’t, we will take care of ourselves.”

Debabrata said: “You have failed to protect us.”

Mamata did not stop to speak to anyone else. As she made a round of the female ward, she touched the heads and shoulders of some. Among them was the woman who was stripped and beaten up on Monday.

Outside the hospital, supporters demanded that they be given a free hand to take on the CPM.

Mamata ignored them and walked with leaders like Mukul Roy and Sisir Adhikary to the Scorpio that drove her to Bhoomi Uchchhed Pratirodh Committee convener and Trinamul zilla parishad candidate Abu Sufiyan’s house for a meeting.

Asked about her supporters’ complaints, she said: “They did not say anything about me. They were expressing their grievances about police.”