Khagen Murmu, the BJP MP of Malda north, faced vehement protests from Trinamul supporters in his constituency on Wednesday when he reached there to attend a party event.

During the protests, Trinamul and BJP supporters clashed. Police had to rush to the spot to rescue the MP and control the situation.

Sources said that the BJP had planned to submit a memorandum at the BDO office of Harishchandrapur-I block on Wednesday to protest alleged anomalies in the beneficiary list of the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and invited the MP to join the event.

Murmu, along with some party functionaries, were headed towards the block office when around 100 Trinamul supporters with black flags reached Gopal Kedia More in Harishchandrapur, shouting slogans.

“He is a migrant MP and keeps on defecting to parties. He has not done anything for the people of his Lok Sabha constituency in the past four years. The MP has no need to come here. That is why we protested,” said a Trinamul supporter who joined the protest.

Murmu, who got elected on a BJP ticket in 2019, had defected from the CPM the same year.

As news spread, some BJP supporters reached the spot shouting slogans. Soon, both Trinamul and BJP groups confronted each other, leading to a clash. However, police soon intervened and dispersed the agitators. Murmu and his associates’ vehicles also left the spot.

“Trinamul is trying to conceal the corruption in panchayats. Their elected representatives and leaders have stolen the money that was sent to the poor people by the Centre. That is why they are indulging in such protests to divert the peoples’ attention,” said the BJP MP after attending the party’s event.

Sanjeev Gupta, Trinamul’s chairman in Harishchandrapur, countered Murmu’s claim. “We have information that the local area development fund of the MP has been misappropriated. The MP should come out in the open and say what he has done for people of this area,” he said.

Resignation

Tinkar Mahaldar, a Trinamul member of Boroi panchayat of Harishchandrapur-I block in Malda, resigned from his post on Wednesday.

He said he was facing people’s wrath because of discrepancies in the list of beneficiaries for the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana despite being clean personally.

“I am not involved in any corruption and yet I faced humiliation. I can no longer take it and have decided to step down from my post. I will continue to be with the party,” he said.

In Alipurduar district, two members of Trinamul in Totpara-I panchayat of Alipurduar-II block, Sangeeta Biswasand Khokon Debnath, said on Wednesday that they also wanted to resign from their posts as people were blaming them for corruption in the central housing scheme.