A day after his unsparing critique of the Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal ruling dispensation in Bengal, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday issued a statement condemning the Saturday murder of his party's supporter Debdeep Chatterjee, accusing Trinamool of running a "reign of terror" in the state.
The leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha cited a statement by the Congress's Bengal unit on X, and wrote in Hindi that the post-poll murder by "TMC-affiliated" thugs was reprehensible.
"My deepest condolences to the grieving family," he wrote, condoling the death of the 43-year-old Chatterjee allegedly beaten to death in front of his wife and 10-year-old son.
"In (Bengal) today, it is not democracy but TMC's reign of terror that prevails. Intimidating, attacking, and eliminating opposing voices after votes are cast—this has become the defining character of TMC," read Rahul's statement.
The Bengal Congress statement that Rahul cited said that Chatterjee used to work closely with Asansol Uttar candidate, Prasenjit Puitandi, and that goons linked to Trinamool fatally beat him.
"This tragic incident exposes the complete collapse of law and order in the state and raises serious questions about the safety of Opposition workers in (Bengal). The fact that such violence has occurred immediately after polling highlights a deeply disturbing pattern of political intimidation and vendetta," read the statement.
It came a day after he bracketed fellow INDIA constituent Mamata and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, asserting that neither was better. The Congress is contesting the Assembly polls alone in Bengal for the first time in two decades.
"Congress politics has never been based on violence, nor will it ever be. We too have lost our workers, yet we have always chosen the path of non-violence and the Constitution. This is our legacy, this is our resolve," wrote Rahul.
Congress workers alleged that those who attacked Chatterjee were followers of local Trinamool councillor Animesh Das. But Das claimed he was out of town and the accused were not linked to him or his party.
Rahul said his demand was clear — immediate arrest of the guilty, harshest punishment and full security and compensation for Chatterjee's family. "We will not bow before this politics that stains India's non-violent tradition. Justice will be done," he added.