Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee injured her forehead on Wednesday, after her car had to make a sudden halt to avoid a collision with another vehicle here, a senior official said.
Banerjee, who was seated in front beside the driver, was injured after her head hit the dashboard, he said.
The accident took place when the CM was returning to Kolkata from an administrative review meeting in Purba Bardhaman.
Later in the evening, she went to the Raj Bhavan to meet Governor C V Ananda Bose.
“All of a sudden, a car came in front of us at high speed. By God’s grace, I was saved as my driver was alert. I am not feeling well as I am having pain and swelling. I have taken some medicines,” Banerjee said.
“At times, people misuse vehicles; as was the case when a person pretending to be a BSF jawan was caught outside my residence. The police is looking into today’s incident. I won’t comment on it further,” she added.
Banerjee had in June last year suffered a knee injury, while alighting from a helicopter in Sevoke in north Bengal. The chief minister had suffered another ligament injury on her left knee in September, and had to undergo a microsurgery.
In the run-up to the 2021 assembly polls, she had fractured a leg and moved on a wheelchair to campaign for the election.
Meanwhile, Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh, who is presently in Assam for Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, wished her a speedy recovery.
“We have just heard of the injury suffered by Mamata Banerjee ji in a car accident. We wish her a full and speedy recovery. The Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra is looking forward to entering West Bengal tomorrow late morning. January 26 and 27th being break days, the Yatra will resume on the 28th,” he posted on X.
Ramesh’s message for Banerjee came amid a surprise announcement by the CM earlier in the day to go alone in the state in the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.
Banerjee’s remarks caught the grand old party off guard, prompting it to state that “no one can imagine the existence of the opposition INDIA bloc without the TMC supremo”.
PTI