"I call it 'deemocracy'": Agnimitra Paul on egg-throwing at TMC leaders, says public showing anger over years of corruption

West Bengal Minister and BJP leader Agnimitra Paul on Thursday reacted to incidents of eggs being hurled at Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, saying that while taking the law into one's own hands is not acceptable, public anger against the previous TMC regime was behind such protests.

West Bengal Minister and BJP leader Agnimitra Paul said that repeated egg-throwing incidents at Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders have been a show of public anger over years of alleged corruption in the state. Calling it a show of 'deemocracy' by the people, she said the people have not forgotten the persecution and corruption of the last few years. Speaking to reporters in Hooghly on Wednesday, Paul said, "We don't want anyone to take the law into their own hands, but you cannot forget how the people of Bengal were persecuted, corruption happened on every level of the society, and Mamata Banerjee did not do anything."

The BJP leader alleged that people in the state had suffered due to corruption and misgovernance and claimed that the recent incidents reflected public resentment against TMC leaders. Referring to eggs being thrown at TMC functionaries, Paul remarked, "If people are hurling eggs, I call it 'deemocracy', and this is the fate of the TMC leaders."

Paul maintained that the BJP does not support lawlessness but argued that public frustration had been building over the years. She accused the Mamata Banerjee-led administration of failing to address corruption and the grievances of ordinary citizens. Over multiple incidents of "egg attacks" on TMC leaders have been reported across the state in the past few weeks, targeting prominent party loyalists. The latest incident occurred directly outside Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence, where veteran TMC leader and staunch Banerjee loyalist Kunal Ghosh had eggs thrown at him on June 14 (Sunday).

The incident took place under high-stakes circumstances while Ghosh was addressing a media briefing outside Banerjee's home, a location heavily fortified under Z-category security. While the police have made two arrests in the matter on June 16, Kunal Ghosh has alleged the involvement of Bengal's Crime Investigation Department in the matter, claiming that the accused was actually an independent witness brought by CID during an earlier raid at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence.

"Four days ago, when the CID raided Mamata Ji's house, our information suggests that the person who attacked me was actually one of the independent witnesses brought in for that raid. So did he come to do a recce? Who brought him? The CID brought him," Ghosh claimed. "Yesterday, when I was leaving Mamata Didi's house, I was just holding a press meet. My eyes were on the camera when a man took advantage of the opportunity, came forward, and threw an egg. Throwing an egg is not the problem; the problem is that he is carrying out an attack right in front of Mamata Banerjee's house, which is under Z-category security. And we need to see who is carrying out this attack," he said.

Suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta condemned the incident, describing the attack on Ghosh as a serious matter. "This is a serious matter, and he has lodged a complaint. I strongly condemn the incident. The individual, Kunal Ghosh, is not the main issue here. Even a leader like Mamata Banerjee enjoys Z-plus category security protection. Here, a sitting Trinamool Congress leader who attends party meetings is attacked while giving a soundbite to the media outside a residence. This is not merely a physical attack; it is a psychological one as well," Dutta said. (ANI)