Mahua Moitra alleges BJP workers pelted eggs at her during protest in Bengal's Nadia
TMC MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday alleged that BJP workers pelted eggs at her in the presence of police personnel during a protest in West Bengal's Nadia district, as demonstrators waved black flags and raised "go back" slogans after she attended a party meeting in Tehatta.
Moitra, a two-term MP from the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency, alleged that seven to 10 BJP workers, including the local Mandal president and the president and vice-president of the panchayat samiti, entered the area where her programme was being held and threw eggs at her.
The TMC MP had gone to Tehatta for a party meeting after informing the police, according to a video message posted by her on X.
"We are at Tehatta party office. You can see, we are under police protection, and the court has said no one will throw eggs. They brought eggs right in front of the police," she said in the video, alleging that the incident amounted to contempt of the high court.
Broken eggshells could be seen on Moitra's face in the video.
She said four police personnel had been deployed with her in accordance with a court direction and that more policemen arrived during the confrontation.
"During the attack, more police personnel came, but instead of controlling the protesters, they forcibly put me into the car," she alleged.
Moitra also went live on social media during the confrontation and questioned how eggs could be thrown at her despite the presence of police personnel. She alleged that the protesters also raised "Jai Shri Ram" slogans.
In another post on X, Moitra referred to a recent Supreme Court observation on her apprehension that eggs could be thrown at her, saying she was now "facing them as a freedom fighter faced bullets".
The reference was to an August 7 hearing on Moitra's plea challenging a Calcutta High Court direction requiring her to appear before the police in connection with a case over an allegedly provocative Facebook post.
The Supreme Court had been told that Moitra feared eggs could be thrown at her if she appeared before the investigating officer in person.
A bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu had orally questioned the apprehension, observing that freedom fighters had faced bullets. The apex court declined to interfere with the high court's direction, following which Moitra's counsel withdrew the plea.
Reacting to Wednesday's incident, West Bengal BJP chief spokesperson Debjot Sarkar condemned egg-throwing at a woman if the incident was established but denied that BJP workers were involved.
"If the incident is true, I condemn it. An incident of eggs being pelted at women is condemnable," he said, while questioning whether the incident had actually taken place as alleged.
"I don't think BJP workers were involved in it," Sarkar said.
He also questioned why TMC leaders were allegedly being subjected to egg-pelting incidents.
The latest confrontation came days after Moitra faced a BJP protest in Nadia's Chapra area, where demonstrators waved black flags and raised "go back" slogans as she left a party meeting.
The repeated protests have added to tensions surrounding Moitra's political engagements in Nadia, with the TMC and BJP trading allegations over attempts to disrupt political programmes.
The incident also comes amid a broader political realignment in West Bengal following the TMC's defeat in the Assembly polls, with divisions emerging within the party's organisational and legislative wings.
According to the copy, 20 of the TMC's 27 Lok Sabha MPs are now aligned with the newly floated NCPI, which has joined the BJP-led NDA. Moitra, however, continues to remain with the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC camp.
