‘TMC goons’ obstructing me from performing my duty, beating up women in WB: Cong leader complains to LS Speaker

NEW DELHI, (PTI): Congress leader in Lok Sabha Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury has accused the ruling TMC in West Bengal of stopping him from performing his duties as a public representatives and has urged LS Speaker Om Birla to take up the matter with the authorities concerned.

Chowdhury, who is also the president of West Bengal Congress, has alleged in a letter to Birla that ”goons of the ruling TMC” in the presence of local police are creating obstacles for him during municipal elections.

He cited several incidents where Congress nominees including women in the municipal polls in his constituency Behrampur were allegedly ”beaten up mercilessly” and forced to withdraw their nominations or not come out to campaign.

”TMC goons are harassing me and humiliating me publicly and I am being prevented from being discharging duties as an MP. I am being obstructed in performing my duties as a public representative,” Chowdhury told PTI.

He alleged that he is being prevented from helping people in distress to create an atmosphere that ”I cannot be relied upon by the people”.

”Whenever I am moving out to help Congress workers in distress, I am being stopped, gheraoed and surrounded by hooligans of the ruling party who are unleashing a reign of terror in cahoots with the local police,” he alleged.

Chowdhury also alleged that this is being done to weaken the Congress, which is fighting the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal.

In the letter to Lok Sabha Speaker, Chowdhury said:” As a local representative, I am supposed to attend to the problems and needs of my constituents. Even if they call me at odd hours, I am duty bound to visit them, listen to their problems and to help them to the best of my abilities.

”However, the ruling party in West Bengal directly and indirectly creates hurdles in the effective discharge of my duties as a public representative.” The Congress leader also alleged that the ”ruling party goons” are threatening candidates of other political parties with violence.

”I am mobbed/gheraoed and heckled by the TMC goons wherever I go for campaigning or to attend to the problems of my constituents. My movement is completely restricted in West Bengal. The ruling party goons are doing all the violence and nuisance and are restricting my movement in collusion with the local authorities.

”As a custodian of the rights and responsibilities of Members of Parliament of Lok Sabha, I shall appeal to you to take up the matter with the authorities concerned so that I can effectively discharge my responsibilities as an MP and political leader,” he said.

Voting was held on Sunday in West Bengal for 108 civic bodies and the counting of votes will take place on March 2. (PTI)