BJP leader Agnimitra Paul (Image/ANI)
NEW DELHI: West Bengal BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said the recent incidents of eggs being hurled at Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders reflected growing public anger over alleged corruption and misgovernance in the state, describing it as a show of ‘deemocracy’ by the people.Her remarks came amid a series of egg-throwing incidents targeting several TMC leaders across West Bengal.Speaking to reporters on Wednesday in Hooghly, Paul said: “We don’t want anyone to take the law into their own hands, but you cannot forget how the people of Bengal were persecuted, corruption happened on every level of society, and Mamata Banerjee did not do anything.” The BJP leader alleged that people in the state had suffered due to corruption and claimed that the recent incidents reflected widespread resentment against the ruling TMC.”If people are hurling eggs, I call it ‘deemocracy’, and this is the fate of the TMC leaders,” Paul said.She maintained that the BJP does not support lawlessness but argued that public frustration had been building over the years. According to Paul, the incidents were a consequence of what she described as years of corruption and neglect by the Mamata Banerjee government.The latest incident occurred outside Banerjee’s heavily guarded Kalighat residence on June 14, when veteran TMC leader and Beliaghata MLA Kunal Ghosh was allegedly targeted by a youth who threw an egg at him while he was addressing reporters. The egg struck Ghosh on the head and broke on impact. The accused, identified as Chandan, later claimed that Ghosh ‘deserved’ the attack because of alleged wrongdoings by the TMC.Reacting to the incident, Ghosh described it as a ‘planned act of hooliganism’ and questioned how such an attack could take place near a residence protected by Z-category security.”Throwing an egg is not the problem. The problem is that an attack is being carried out right in front of Mamata Banerjee’s house, which is under Z-category security. We need to see who is carrying out this attack,” Ghosh said.The controversy deepened after Ghosh alleged that one of the accused was linked to a recent CID operation at Banerjee’s residence. Police later arrested two people in connection with the incident.The Kalighat episode was not an isolated case. On Tuesday, TMC youth leader Soumitra Banerjee was pelted with eggs and greeted with chants of “chor, chor, chor” while being escorted to court following his arrest in a separate case. Police later brought the situation under control and ensured his safe passage to court.Earlier, residents in Ariadaha allegedly hurled eggs at a vehicle linked to senior TMC MLA Madan Mitra amid protests over alleged “cut money” collections and local grievances. Mitra blamed the incident on “BJP-backed miscreants”, while residents claimed their anger had been building for months.The attacks come at a time when the TMC is facing political turbulence following a series of defections, resignations and internal dissent after its Assembly election setback. Rebel leaders have claimed that public dissatisfaction with corruption and governance issues is increasingly translating into visible protests against TMC functionaries.Paul had earlier made similar remarks in Asansol, where she argued that the trend of throwing eggs at political leaders was a reaction to what she described as ’15 years of oppression’ under the TMC government.”India is a democracy, and people have various ways of registering their protest. In Bengal, the culture of throwing eggs has begun, and it is a result of how Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have treated the people,” she had said.The BJP leader claimed that the growing number of such incidents demonstrated that citizens were increasingly pushing back against the ruling party.”The people are finally responding. What we are witnessing is a growing trend of defiance that is now visible everywhere,” Paul said.
