The cases were filed when the Left front Government was in power and Buddhadeb Bhattacharya was the chief minister. It was Suvendu Adhikari who was one of the leading lights of the agitation in Nandigram and Khejuri. In a twist of fortune, Adhikari is now the chief minister and it is his police which executed the arrest warrants against Pradhan.
Congress leaders said the party will approach the High Court on Monday against the 14-day judicial remand that ends on 3 October, three days before the polling. However, there is no question of Congress withdrawing from the contest. The campaign will continue, said WBPCC president Subhankar Sarkar. He said, “If our candidate is sent to jail, thousands of Milan Pradhans will take to the field in Nandigram and campaign. They will distribute leaflets. People will decide.”
Congress spokesperson and a lawyer Ajitesh Pandey said, “The police told the court that they had been unable to locate Milan for 19 years. Yet, they found him several days after he became a candidate! Isn’t that strange?” Congress workers demonstrated against Pradhan’s arrest across the state on Saturday. Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya and South Kolkata Congress President Mita Chakraborty led a protest march from Park Circus, joined by hundreds of party workers and supporters. Carrying placards condemning the arrest of Nandigram Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, the protesters demanded his immediate release.
