Union minister Babul Supriyo on Wednesday faced massive protests as agitators showed black flags asking him to go back when he reached South 24 Parganas to take stock of the situation in cyclone ‘Bulbul’-hit areas.
Supriyo has claimed that the agitators were activists of the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) who at the behest of CM Mamata Banerjee wanted to prevent him from doing his work. “I knew I would face protests during my visit (to cyclone-hit areas). The agitators were all TMC activists,” Supriyo said.
Reportedly, soon after Babul Supriyo reached Namkhana, one of the worst- affected areas, protesters stopped his convoy and showed him black flags.
The Union Minister had on Tuesday said that he had been asked by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to visit the storm-affected areas, in West Bengal and take stock of the situation.
As directed by Honble PM Shri @narendramodi I will be visiting #bulbulcyclone hit Namkhana & Bokkhali tmrw where the storm on left a trail of destruction rendering thousands of ppl homeless after their kutcha houses were razed to the ground https://t.co/vrb4OY4OKh
— Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) November 12, 2019
Taking to Twitter the Union Minister shared the trauma of the locals who have been affected by the Bulbul cyclone in areas like Namkhana and Bokkhali in West Bengal’s South 24 Paraganas where the storm left a trail of destruction rendering thousands of people homeless.
In the video shared by the minister, the distressed and homeless locals can be heard saying that no aids or relief materials, like food and medicines, have been provided to them by the ruling TMC government.
‘বুলবুল’ কবলিত এলাকাবাসী কি বলছে শুনুন, ক্ষতিগ্রস্ত মানুষরা রাজ্য সরকারের থেকে সাহায্য দাবি করলে তারা বলেছে বিজেপির থেকে ক্ষতিপূরণ চান। এখানেও ক্ষতিগ্রস্তদের সাহায্য করার পরিবর্তে জঘন্য রাজনীতি করছে রাজ্য সরকার #ChhiMamataChhi @narendramodi@BJP4Bengal @BJPLive @amitmalviya pic.twitter.com/Ow6gqtdCT0
— Babul Supriyo (@SuPriyoBabul) November 13, 2019
This is, however, not the first time the Union Minister has faced such harassment in the hands of TMC cadres. Earlier, in April, party workers belonging to Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) have reportedly attacked Union Minister Babul Supriyo and damaged his vehicle in Asansol while he was on his way to a polling booth in Barabani.
BJP Asansol candidate Babul Supriyo had then visited a polling booth in Asansol constituency after villagers had threatened to boycott polls following the non-deployment of central forces in some polling booths.
The TMC workers clashed with BJP workers who were demanding for central forces to be deployed near polling booths. Clashes were also reported between TMC workers and the security personnel. During this incident, TMC workers have allegedly resorted to vandalism and damaged Babul Supriyo‘s car which was outside the polling station.
