West Bengal: TMC Don Anubrata Mondal Gets Grand Welcome

 Kolkata: Trinamul Congress strongman of Birbhum Anubrata Mondal received a hero's welcome from his party workers upon his return to home on Tuesday, nearly two years after his arrest by the CBI in the cattle smuggling scam.

Mr Mondal was released from Tihar Jail on Monday after he was granted bail by a Delhi court. He flew to Kolkata on Tuesday morning along with his daughter Sukanya Mondal and travelled to his residence at Nichupatty in Bolpur

Hundreds of TMC workers, who were waiting since dawn for their favourite leader's arrival, greeted him when he reached his address in a convoy. They erupted in joy and shouted ‘Kestoda’, nickname of Mr Mondal and showered flowers on him.

Many of them also carried Gur-Batasa (Jaggery-Sugar Drop Candy), a popular combination of confectionery items to welcome people at home in the rural areas which Mr Mondal used to mention in his public speeches to give veiled threats to opposition leaders.

Already a huge contingent of police personnel was deployed in and around his house. Significantly, TMC supremo and chief minister Mamata Banerjee was also at Labhpur in the district.

Mr Mondal later said, “Mamata Banerjee is coming. I love her as much as the people of Bengal and the country love me. Greetings of Durga Puja to all. My legs are not in good condition. Still I may try to meet her once.”

In the afternoon, state minister Chandranath Sinha and TMC MLA Bikash Roy Chowdhury went to meet Mr Mondal. But they were denied entry at the wish of Mr Mondal.