Chief minister Mamata Banerjee and BJP state president Sukanta Majumdar traded sharp barbs on Monday during a heated session in the state Assembly, reigniting political tensions and resurfacing a controversial 2020 incident involving alleged police excesses.
During the Question Hour in the Assembly, Banerjee, without naming Majumdar, launched a scathing attack on the BJP, accusing the party of divisive politics. She offered a veiled “advice” to the BJP state chief, triggering an immediate backlash from the opposition ranks.
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Inside the chamber, the chief minister accused the opposition party of resorting to vulgar slogans and disruptive tactics. Referring to an earlier incident, she alleged that a BJP leader had entered her locality and thrown a slipper at a Punjabi police officer—a move that, she claimed, deeply offended the Sikh community. “If you keep calling everyone in our party thieves, remember—your own party is sheltering traitors and looters,” the chief minister thundered. “If you love throwing slippers so much, open a slipper shop. At least then you can show your earnings in black-and-white and pay income tax.”
The chief minister accused BJP of selling out the country and lacking even the basic courtesy of political civility, especially in the face of recent tragedies. “When so many people died in Gujarat, we kept quiet out of decency. But you throw slippers at turbans,” she said, in a sharp rebuke.
Mr Majumdar responded outside the Assembly with a strongly-worded post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), accusing Banerjee of remaining silent during a 2020 incident in which a Sikh security personnel was allegedly manhandled by Kolkata Police during a BJP protest march to Nabanna, the state secretariat.
“Chief minister Mamata Banerjee — today, you must be reminded of a disgraceful, shameful episode that stains your record,” Majumdar wrote. “Your police publicly tore off the sacred turban of a Sikh man, dragged him by his hair. That wasn’t just police brutality — it was an assault on religious identity and dignity.” He further questioned whether Banerjee had issued any apology or taken action against the officers involved. “This insult will not be forgotten,” Majumdar stated, asserting that the BJP stood in solidarity with the Sikh community.
The chief minister has yet to respond to the specific allegations made in the post. The incident referred to by Majumdar occurred during a protest march in October 2020, when visuals of a Sikh man being roughed up by police sparked outrage on social media and drew criticism from Sikh organisations and political leaders. Monday’s exchange underscores the rising political temperature in the state ahead of the civic polls, with the Assembly floor once again turning into a battleground for bitter political rivalry between the ruling Trinamul Congress and the opposition BJP.