Sukanta Majumdar writes to LS speaker, says attack on his convoy is breach of privilege
KOLKATA: Union minister Sukanta Majumdar on Friday asked Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to initiate breach of parliamentary privilege proceedings over an alleged attack on his convoy by West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress during his visit to South 24 Parganas district.
The West Bengal BJP chief had gone to Budge Budge in South 24 Parganas on Thursday to meet an injured party worker when some people staged a protest, demanding unpaid wages under the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) Scheme and threw slippers at his convoy and shouted slogans against him.
In his letter, Majumdar, the Balurghat MP and president of Bengal unit of BJP, said, 'On June 19, while I was visiting Diamond Harbour to meet the victims of political violence and assess the law-and-order situation in the area, my official convoy was gheraoed and violently attacked by a mob reportedly comprising workers of the TMC. Stones were pelted at my convoy, vehicles were vandalized and many persons accompanying me were injured. The attack posed a serious and direct threat to my life and the lives of those present.'
'I submit that this incident amounts to serious breach of privilege and contempt of the House and urge you to take cognisance of this matter and refer it to the committee of privileges for appropriate examination and action,' he said.
Majumdar also alleged that the police stood as mute spectators. He wrote on X: 'The police not only failed to act during the violence — they also failed to take any preventive action, despite clear signs of escalating tension.'
Rahul Goswami, superintendent of police (SP), Diamond Harbour police district, refused to comment on the developments.
The central government's decision to suspend the Centre's 60% share of MGNREGA funds has been a major political issue in West Bengal since 2022. On Wednesday, the Calcutta high court directed the Centre to resume the MGNREGA from August 1.
TMC leader Kunal Ghosh said the Centre had stopped the wages of the poor people who had worked under the MGNREGA scheme. 'It is obvious that they were seething with anger. When the people staged protests, Majumdar branded the women as 'jihadis'. He should apologise in public for his statements,' Ghosh said.
The TMC shared a video clip on social media in which Majumdar could be heard saying that the protestors in Budge Budge were 'jihadis'.
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