Milan Pradhan's wife alleges Suvendu misused power before Nandigram bypoll

Arpita Pradhan, wife of jailed Congress candidate Milan Pradhan for the Nandigram bypoll, on Thursday accused Suvendu Adhikari of misusing power to send her husband to jail and claimed that he had been implicated in false cases.Speaking at a press conference at the West Bengal Pradesh Congress headquarters in Kolkata, she also urged opposition parties to unite against the BJP in the October 6 bypoll.She said she and her daughter would campaign in Nandigram on Milan Pradhan's behalf as he remains in judicial custody and cannot canvass for himself.

Arpita also thanked Rahul Gandhi and Mamata Banerjee for supporting the jailed candidate.Milan Pradhan was arrested and remanded in judicial custody till October 5, a day before polling, in connection with multiple 19-year-old cases, including a murder case linked to the 2007 anti-land acquisition agitation in Nandigram.His arrest came shortly after Mamata Banerjee announced her faction's support for him in the bypoll after withdrawing its own candidate.Questioning the timing of the arrest, Arpita said, "Why was my husband sent to jail just before this election in such an old case?

Suvendu Adhikari was also an accused in the same case, so why is he out? This has happened because we are from the opposition." She said, "He was slapped with false cases since he was fighting for his country and because he stood by his people. He has a family, and our daughter is unable to attend school in the current situation." Arpita also alleged that "the real offender" was roaming free because he is the chief minister.

"Are we living in a free country? It seems to me that we are living under British rule. I urge the people of Nandigram to stand by me. CM Suvendu Adhikari is misusing his power. This must stop," she added.Flanked by state Congress president Subhankar Sarkar and the party's state observer Prakash Joshi, Arpita said her husband had remained committed to the Congress despite offers from other parties." Milan Pradhan has been involved in Congress politics since his student days.

Many of his colleagues switched from one party to another after taking money. But he has remained steadfast in his political beliefs," she said.She added, "Whenever Milan goes to Nandigram, people of all ages, from children to the elderly, surround him. It is such a person who has been jailed just before the election." Arpita said, "Because my husband is in jail and cannot take part in the campaigns, my daughter and I have decided to hit the roads on his behalf from September 25.

We will start from the Nandigram market." Sarkar said everyone who supports the Congress nominee is welcome. The Congress's campaign in Nandigram will now be led by Milan Pradhan's family as the party presses ahead with the bypoll fight while he remains in custody.- Ends