New Delhi, July 2 (IANS) A day after Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra faced protests with eggs and cow dung hurled at her by a mob at Kaliganj area in West Bengal’s Nadia district, opposition leaders on Thursday accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers of indulging in “hooliganism”, calling it an “attack on democracy”.

Moreover, they also sought an intervention by the Central government and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla into the matter.

Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said, “An elected Member of Parliament (Mahua Moitra) visiting her own (Krishnanagar Lok Sabha) constituency, was attacked, and the police stood by and watched… this should not happen. The Speaker should intervene in this matter.”

Trinamool MP Sagarika Ghose termed the attack on Mahua Moitra as a “direct attack on democracy”.

“Moitra is an elected Member of Parliament. She has every right to visit her constituency. Similar attacks are taking place against many others…on several Trinamool representatives and Councillors,” Ghose told IANS.

Echoing similar view, Congress leader Surendra Rajput said: “Not mere allegations, it is evident that BJP members had attacked Mahua Moitra’s office. Yesterday they attacked with eggs, next time they will use pistols and rifles. Police witnessed everything quietly.”

“Wherever the BJP comes to power, its party workers turn into hooligans. This is an insult to all women. Mahua Moitra is an elected MP; such an attack is extremely condemnable. The Centre should intervene over such attacks and if the BJP government is unable to take care of Bengal’s law-and-order then President’s rule should be imposed there,” he told IANS.

Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Jha said: “I had a conversation; there were not just eggs but also stones. If the political character becomes like this, then whenever one party loses an election, the winning party gets a license (to resort to such things).”

Urging BJP leaders to show some restraint, Jha added: “There is already a lot of aggression on the ground. Should we stand in favour of such attacks? This is not India’s character. We have seen so many elections and their results, but never before have we witnessed such things.”

However, BJP MP Manan Kumar Mishra said: “The people of West Bengal have developed complete hatred towards the Trinamool Congress. Earlier, people were unable to speak out because of fear. But now, with the BJP gaining strength in the state, whenever Trinamool leaders, especially senior leaders, come out in public, the people’s anger becomes visible.”

He asserted that the police do take action to prevent such incidents.

“It is not as if the police or the administration remains silent. However, the Trinamool Congress is trying to blow such minor incidents out of proportion by making irresponsible statements and allegations,” Mishra claimed.

–IANS

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