No security cover: TMC's Kirti Azad uses airgun for protection from 'BJP goons'
With an airgun placed beside him during an interview with India Today TV, Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad said he now practises shooting after his
With an airgun placed beside him during an interview with India Today TV, Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad said he now practises shooting after his security cover was withdrawn, claiming he needed to be prepared in case "BJP goons" attacked him. When asked why he kept an airgun, Azad said, "I practice firing. If some BJP goons come and attack, because my security has been removed, my home guards have also been removed." Read Full Story Asked whether the withdrawal of his security cover came from the Centre or the state government, Azad said his protection was reduced after he parted ways with the BJP. "When I was in the BJP, I had Y-plus security. When the BJP threw me out after I exposed corruption in the DDCA issue, they removed my security," he claimed.
Azad said he had faced threats and attacks in the past but insisted he was not intimidated. "I didn't care. I didn't care about my life. Because it is written that you have to go. That is certain," he said. He further alleged that opposition politicians and their families had been subjected to pressure and intimidation in the aftermath of TMC's drubbing in the Bengal Assembly polls. Commenting on party leaders switching sides after the BJP stormed to power in the state, Azad said some were threatened while others were allegedly offered money. "The way they have removed five MPs and broken their homes, their families have been threatened. Some had the hair of their wives and daughters pulled. Some got scared and left," he alleged.
He further claimed that financial inducements were offered to political figures as part of efforts to engineer defections. "There were some who agreed to Rs 5 crore, some to Rs 50 crore. Others settled for monthly payments," he alleged, linking the claims to what opposition parties often describe as "Operation Lotus." Azad also accused the BJP of selectively using central agencies against political opponents. "Why do you have to apply for CBI or ED? Just come here, and we will take care of you," he remarked sarcastically while alleging that investigations against certain politicians disappeared after they aligned with the ruling party. The former cricketer also struck a defiant note when asked whether attempts were being made to pressure him politically. "Those who got scared, got scared.
Now they are trying to scare me. I am not one to be scared," he said, citing his family's role in India's freedom movement. The TMC MP also weighed in on the recent rebellion within the party, congratulating the dissident leaders sarcastically and calling them "traitors". He argued that if they had genuine differences with the party leadership, they should have resigned before elections and sought a fresh mandate from voters. Azad's remarks come amid an intensifying political battle between the TMC and the BJP, with both sides accusing each other of intimidation, political poaching and attempts to destabilise rivals ahead of future electoral contests. Ends
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