A pregnant Trinamul panchayat member in Birbhum fled her village on Saturday fearing a gherao of her tin-roof home, prompting bureaucrats to suggest the clamour for the refund of “cut money” could trigger “lawlessness” across Bengal.
Manimala Bagdi, 29, who won her Fulur gram panchayat seat uncontested last year, had turned “panicky” after learning local BJP politicians were planning to gherao panchayat members’ homes with the demand. She asked husband Dalim, a day labourer, to shift her to a relative’s place.
“We are poor and know nothing about cut money or politics. My wife rarely steps out of home. Local Trinamul leaders had requested she file her nomination as the seat was reserved for women,” Dalim said.
Multiple sources in Fulur confirmed BJP gheraos of panchayat members’ homes. A neighbour of Dalim said a group of BJP-led agitators had arrived but, realising Dalim and Manimala had fled, left after threatening to return if “our money is not refunded”.
A villager said Manimala was unlikely to have taken cuts from any welfare recipient. “The couple’s lifestyle has not changed since she became a panchayat member. They depend solely on Dalim’s wages.”
A Trinamul booth committee president in Panrui has lodged a police complaint alleging threats from villagers who demanded he refund “cut money”. “But I’m not involved with (the sanction of benefits for) welfare schemes. How could I possibly have taken cuts?” Debiprasad Mukherjee said.
Senior officials said the two incidents, stemming from the chief minister’s diktat to party representatives to refund “cut money” extorted from beneficiaries of government schemes, indicated that rural Bengal might turn volatile amid a turf war between the BJP and Trinamul.
“Surely, not every elected representative took cuts. It’s clear that local politics is behind many of these protests,” an official said.
Nabanna sources said the police had been ordered to act against anyone harassing or attacking any innocent person for “cut money” refund.
BJP leaders denied any links with the agitations.
