Suspended All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) senior spokesperson Dr Riju Dutta praised BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who swore in as West Bengal Chief Minister yesterday, for preventing post-poll violence against TMC cadres. Speaking to ANI on Sunday (10th May), Dutta said that Adhikari’s message of restraint to the people of Bengal following the brutal assassination of his Personal Assistant and close aide Chandranath Rath prevented the killing of 5,000 TMC workers.
“Suvendu Adhikari has saved the lives of at least 5,000 Trinamool Congress workers. His PA was shot on May 6. If he had called for revenge in Bengal that night, 5,000 TMC workers would have been killed. Instead, he asked everyone to maintain peace and not take the law into their own hands,” Dutta said.
#WATCH | Kolkata, West Bengal: Suspended TMC leader, Riju Dutta says, "Suvendu Adhikari has saved the lives of at least 5,000 Trinamool Congress workers…"
— ANI (@ANI) May 10, 2026
He says, "Suvendu Adhikari has been the Chief Minister for only two days, but within these two days, he saved the lives of… pic.twitter.com/uzNZSsqrZB
Dutta also hailed Adhikari as a politician of unmatched achievements and credentials. He recalled how he worked at the grassroots level since the time he was with the TMC. “In the history of India, if a list of the top 10 politicians is made, Mamata Banerjee’s name will be there. But Suvendu Adhikari’s CV is different. He has been an MP, a cabinet minister, and later defeated Mamata Banerjee in Nandigram. He is the only person who deserves to sit in the chair of the Chief Minister of West Bengal,” Dutta added. Dutta said that his opposition towards Adhikari was purely political and that he never made any personal attacks on him. He further said that if he ever made any personal attacks against Adhikari, he would like to apologise for that.
Notably, Dutta was suspended from the TMC on Saturday for a period of six years with immediate effect. His suspension came days after he criticised his party leaders and praised BJP leaders for supporting him during an alleged attack on him by local BJP workers.
Dutta apologises for his remarks against IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma
Riju Dutta also offered an unconditional apology to Uttar Pradesh cadre IPS officer Ajay Pal Sharma, whom he had threatened ahead of the assembly polls in West Bengal. After Sharma had warned TMC candidate Jahangir Khan and his goons against intimidating voters, Dutta had said that even the BJP would not be able to save Sharma after the election results.
After being suspended from TMC, Dutta issued a clarification on Sunday, saying that the statements made by him against Sharma were made at his party’s direction.
मैं, तृणमूल कांग्रेस के प्रवक्ता के रूप में, आईपीएस अजय पाल शर्मा के बारे में एक वीडियो बनाया था। अब मेरी पार्टी ने मुझे सच बोलने के कारण निलंबित कर दिया है।
— 𝐑𝐢𝐣𝐮 𝐃𝐮𝐭𝐭𝐚 (@DrRijuDutta_TMC) May 10, 2026
वह क्लिप वायरल हो चुकी है और भाजपा का पूरा आक्रोश व्यक्तिगत रूप से मुझ पर आ रहा है।
मैं स्पष्ट रूप से कहना चाहता हूँ कि… pic.twitter.com/IUO48OG434
“As a spokesperson for the Trinamool Congress, I had made a video about IPS Ajay Pal Sharma. Now, my party has suspended me for speaking the truth. That clip has gone viral, and the full wrath of the BJP is now being directed personally at me. I want to clearly state that I made that video as the National Spokesperson of the Trinamool Congress, from the party’s headquarters, while adhering to the party line, and that video was also released from the official social media handles of the Trinamool Congress,” Dutta said.
“It was not any personal comment. Nevertheless, on the advice of senior BJP leaders from Uttar Pradesh and my legal advisor, I unconditionally apologise to IPS Ajay Pal Sharma for my comments, even though they were not personal. I am now an ordinary person who hopes to live a peaceful life with my family and continue my livelihood. I hope this matter will now be permanently closed,” he added.
