Sukanta writes to LS Speaker claiming ‘threat to life’

Kolkata: Union minister Sukanta Majumdar on Friday wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla claiming "grave breach of privilege" and a "threat to life" after his convoy was allegedly attacked in the Budge Budge area in Bengal's South 24 Parganas on Thursday.Majumdar, who is also BJP's Bengal president, was in Budge Budge to meet party workers who were injured following an alleged attack outside the Budge Budge-1 BDO office Wednesday. His visit triggered tensions in the area. The Balurghat MP has accused Trinamool supporters of surrounding his convoy and pelting stones.In his letter to the Speaker, Majumdar cited Rule 222 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in Lok Sabha. He stated the mob, allegedly comprising Trinamool workers, gheraoed and violently attacked his convoy, damaging vehicles and injuring several individuals. "The attack posed a direct and serious threat to my life and the lives of those present," the letter said. It added that Diamond Harbour SP Rahul Goswami was present at the spot but "failed to take any preventive or protective action," which the minister termed "wilful negligence" and "dereliction of duty".TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "He (Majumdar) should have thought of the implications of his repeated threats earlier when he said he will stop all 100-day funds. He dubbed everyone thieves and robbers. Why cannot he face people now? What stops him from answering them?" "To hide his failure, he will write to his Delhi uncles to shield him, which is not politics. He is educated, a Union minister, and he should refrain from antagonising people," Ghosh added.