Tamluk, Dec. 30: Trinamul Congress activists in Nandigram were today accused of pushing and shoving a CPI leader and assaulting his driver who were heading to a campaign meeting for the January 5 poll.

The attack comes a week after a Trinamul mob surrounded Jamait Ulema-i-Hind chief Siddiqullah Chowdhury’s car at the same place in Sonachura and attacked the candidate backed by his party. Independent Badshah Alam was injured on his head.

CPI leader Anil Das today alleged that the mob surrounded his Ambassador, dragged his driver out and beat him up. “The Trinamul activists went on threatening us with dire consequences if we dared to campaign in Nandigram. They also tore our party flags and festoons,” Das alleged.

Trinamul leader Abu Taher rubbished the charges, but also added: “What can we do if people express their anger against the CPM’s misrule?”

After the attack on Alam, the party had said the people were protesting against a possible split in votes.

Left leaders had earlier alleged that Trinamul supporters were terrorising villagers and not allowing them to campaign. The charges had prompted the poll panel to declare all Nandigram booths sensitive and assign a central observer to each of them.

District police chief Ashok Prasad said: “We’ll arrest those involved in today’s attack.”

The bypoll was necessitated by the resignation of a bribe-accused CPI MLA.