Archive · 19 Sep 2026
Opposition Attacks BJP Over Arrest and Trinamool Symbol Freeze
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in an old case before an election in Nandigram.
Congress leaders said the arrest was politically motivated.
They argued that the BJP was trying to weaken its opponents.
The Election Commission also stopped two Trinamool Congress groups from using the same party name and symbol in the October 6 bypolls.
Opposition leaders said this decision unfairly helped rebels opposing Mamata Banerjee.
They compared it with earlier disputes involving the Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi denied the accusations.
He said Rahul Gandhi was ignoring how the Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party had separated from Congress.
The two sides therefore disagreed sharply about whether the actions protected or damaged democracy.
Congress candidate Milan Pradhan was arrested in connection with a 19-year-old case before the Nandigram bypoll.
Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA alliance leaders called the arrest political revenge and an attack on democracy.
The Election Commission barred two Trinamool Congress factions from using the party name and election symbol in the October 6 bypolls.
Opposition leaders accused the BJP and Election Commission of helping split parties and weaken elected mandates.
The BJP rejected the criticism, saying Rahul Gandhi misunderstood the histories of the Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party.
- Who
- Congress candidate Milan Pradhan, Rahul Gandhi, other INDIA alliance leaders, Mamata Banerjee, the BJP, and the Election Commission of India.
- What
- The Congress criticized Pradhan’s arrest in a 19-year-old case, while opposition parties protested an Election Commission decision restricting two Trinamool Congress factions from using the party name and symbol.
- When
- The criticism and arrests were reported on Friday; the bypolls are scheduled for October 6.
- Where
- Nandigram and West Bengal, India.
- Why
- Opposition leaders said the arrest and election-symbol decision were intended to weaken political opponents; the BJP said the criticism reflected Rahul Gandhi’s misunderstanding of party history.
Opposition allegations
BJP response
Arrest before the bypoll
Opposition allegations
Congress leaders said using a 19-year-old case to arrest Milan Pradhan was political revenge and an attempt to intimidate the opposition.
BJP response
The BJP did not accept the Congress’s characterization of the arrest and instead attacked Rahul Gandhi’s broader criticism as politically ignorant.
Election Commission decision
Opposition allegations
Rahul Gandhi, K C Venugopal, and other INDIA alliance leaders alleged that the BJP and Election Commission were helping split parties and overturn electoral mandates.
BJP response
The BJP defended its democratic record and rejected the accusation that it was responsible for stealing parties or weakening democracy.
Party histories
Opposition allegations
Rahul Gandhi compared the Trinamool Congress dispute with earlier Shiv Sena and Nationalist Congress Party disputes, describing them as part of a pattern of party splitting and symbol seizure.
BJP response
Sudhanshu Trivedi said the Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party had emerged after separating from Congress, and accused Gandhi of ignoring his own party’s history.
- Arrested candidate
- Milan Pradhan, the Congress candidate for the Nandigram bypoll
- Case cited
- A 19-year-old case
- Election Commission decision
- Two Trinamool Congress factions were barred from using the party name All India Trinamool Congress and the Jora Ghash Phul symbol in the October 6 bypolls
- Opposition response
- Congress and INDIA alliance leaders called the developments political revenge and an attack on democracy
- BJP response
- BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi accused Rahul Gandhi of political ignorance and cited the histories of the Trinamool Congress and Nationalist Congress Party
- Other critics
- Arvind Kejriwal and Akhilesh Yadav also questioned the Election Commission’s conduct
- Election symbol
- Jora Ghash Phul, meaning two flowers with grass