The TMC MP has made no bones about it: she was on the receiving end of an egg-throwing by some from the BJP while the police, in her view, did nothing to stop it. With video to back up her story, the claim has put a finer point on the already divided mood in the state, just in time for the high-profile event the TMC has lined up for later this month.
Alleged attack outside Moitra’s office
According to Moitra, a crowd made itself at home outside her office for more than an hour, flinging eggs and vegetables in a bid to make her uncomfortable. She put her foot down and didn’t budge, characterising the group as a hostile force meant to get in the way of her work as an MP. She let it be known on social media that she was being made a target by the BJP’s people with the state police looking on. The TMC leader sees it as a coordinated move to rattle her, one that is in line with the kind of pressure her party’s men on the ground are having to deal with.
No official response yet
As of now, you won’t find any word from the BJP or the West Bengal Police on the matter. Moitra’s posts on Tuesday set the record straight on the scuffle, and a video she put out on Wednesday shows the eggs and produce in mid-air, making for a quick-moving story. Here is where things stand: – Moitra’s side of it: BJP workers were the ones throwing the eggs and veg. – Her take on the police: they stood by and let it happen. – The crowd held its ground for an hour or so outside her door. – No comment from the BJP or the police thus far. Until someone in authority chimes in, we don’t know if anyone was cuffed or what set them off. But Moitra’s version of events has a way of drawing eyes to the way law enforcement is handling things in these hotbeds of politics.
Political stakes and accusations
The MP from Krishnanagar is seeing this as a piece of the BJP’s wider game. Lately, she has been hard on the proposed Uniform Civil Code and a thorny law-and-order bill, terms she has used like “draconian” and “divisive.” She claims there is a method to it all – a plan to erode the TMC from the bottom up. Her workers are being told to watch out for false cases and the long arm of the law if they put on a show, which in her words is breeding a fear of even the most ordinary political activity.
Emergency-era comparison and rally build-up
Fresh from a get-together at Mamata Banerjee’s place in Kalighat, Moitra made a point of comparing today to the Emergency to make her case: you can’t stifle opposition for good. She has been telling her own not to be put in their place, calling it a matter of democratic principle as much as anything.
There are millions of voters whose voices will not be hushed, she said, and with the July 21 martyrs’ rally on the horizon, it is a moment to be reckoned with. The top brass in the party will chart the course, and the coming days will be a measure of their mettle on the streets.
What comes next
Now the ball is in the court of the BJP and the police to put forward their side of the story. An official statement could put the lie to Moitra or admit to some missteps, and in a season as volatile as this, that will go some way in dictating how the state deals with protests and rallies. We’ll have to wait for more. In the meantime, for those watching, the episode brings up two things: is the level of political strong-arming on the up, and can the local police be trusted to keep the peace without overstepping?
