On Friday (January 20), a Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA named Asit Majumder courted controversy after he was seen receiving a foot massage from a female party worker.
The incident took place when Majumder visited the Debanandapur village in the Hooghly district of West Bengal as part of the party’s 60-day campaign ‘Didir Surakha Kavach’, ahead of the upcoming Panchayat polls.
After completing the day’s programme, he went to the house of a local TMC leader named Piyush Dhar. It was during his time at Dhar’s residence that Asit Majumder received a foot massage from a woman.
Reportedly, a member of Trinamool Congress (Chunchura) Panchayat Samiti named Ruma Roy Pal began massaging his feet while he lay comfortably on the bed. The picture, which was originally uploaded by Pal on her Facebook account, stirred political controversy.
Asit Majumder came under fire for ‘exploiting’ his position of power. While speaking about the matter, BJP leader Suresh Sahu said, “His policy of ‘give and take’ is pretty clear. If you want to get something from him, then, you have to give him something in return.”
“He treats his supporters as slaves (Dashi) and keeps them lurking around for his benefit. And in return, he appoints them either as the head of the panchayat or its member…This is a matter of shame. Hope he develops some wisdom. We can only hope for that,” he emphasised.
Ruma Roy Pal defends Asit Mazumder
Meanwhile, the foot masseur aka Ruma Roy Pal has come out in defence of the TMC legislator. She claimed that Asit Mazumder underwent surgery a few months ago but that did not stop him from walking for ‘Didir Surakha Kavach’ campaign.
“He had sprained his leg, which became hard as a brick. He loves me like his daughter and I respect him as a father figure. After my husband’s death, he made me the Pradhan of the Panchayat,” she added.
“Where is it written that I cannot serve him as my parents? He was lying down and I served him as a daughter as you can see in that picture. After the foot massage, he experienced relief. I was blessed to know that,” Pal concluded.
