Two MPs of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in West Bengal on Tuesday faced protests on their home turf, triggering speculation ahead of the Lok Sabha polls next year. Malda Uttar MP Khagen Murmu faced protests at Mahanandtola gram panchayat under Ratua Assembly seat of Malda district. The villagers, displaced by erosion along the river Ganga, are upset with the Centre’s lack of effort in their rehabilitation. The villagers also pleaded with the MP with folded hands that he should convince the Centre to act.
Ganga river erosion is a major issue that affects the lives of thousands of people in Malda and Murshidabad districts. Ratua Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Samar Mukherjee said that maximum erosion along the Ganga occurs in the three States ruled by non-BJP governments. “The erosion occurs in Jharkhand, Bihar, and large parts of West Bengal. When the Farakka Barrage was constructed, it was entrusted with the responsibility of preventing river erosion both upstream and downstream, but the Central government institution hasn’t kept its commitment,” Mr. Mukherjee alleged.
At Bankura district, BJP MP and Union Minister of State for Education Subhas Sarkar was locked inside his room at the BJP party office at the district headquarters. BJP supporters raised “go back” slogans directed at him. They alleged that Mr. Sarkar was meddling in party appointments at the district level. After nearly two hours, the MP was rescued by the police.
The Trinamool Congress shared a video of the protest on social media and targeted the infighting in the BJP. “With each passing day, @BJP4Bengal is crumbling as infighting is reaching its peak! In Bankura, vehement clashes erupted, & BJP workers locked Union Minister Subhas Sarkar in the party office. While unity within the party is a myth, BJP is truly a shining example of a weak foundation and misplaced priorities,” the TMC said via its official handle on social media platform X (formerly Twitter).
The BJP had won 18 of the 42 Lok Sabha seats in West Bengal in the 2019 general elections, but the party’s electoral prospects in the State have taken a downward slide since then.
