TMC minister stokes row with remark against police

In the video, Becharam is heard saying that if police obstruct people demanding construction of subways from holding protest he will beat them up. “I’ll see if there’s a problem. If the police create a problem, I will beat them up,” he is heard puportedly saying.

The Opposition lashed out at Manna over his comment.

BJP vice-president Dilip Ghosh said, “Our leader (referring to Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari) just asked IPS officers to keep their bags ready. Yet the TMC made such a big issue out of it. Now, their minister is talking in such a language, attacking police. Looks like those who are at the helm of the police force are not able to control such elements. They want police to behave like their domestic help.”

Another BJP leader said, “TMC’s Birbhum district president Anubrata Mondal had threatened to hurl bombs at the police and now the Singur MLA is threatening to kill police.”

After the video went viral, the minister claimed that his statement was taken out of context, “The work on six lanes of the Durgapur Express Highway is under progress at a fast pace. A meeting was held with the transport company but no space has been reserved for the subways.”

He said, “After the meeting, the villagers said that if they block the road work, police stop them. I told them that they cannot stop the construction work by blocking a road. I also told them that the construction work should be stopped 100 metres from the spot where the subways should be constructed.”

“Police also helping us in this movement. About a thousand people died (in accidents) on the Durgapur highway. So the villagers have been protesting for a long time demanding construction of subways. We do not believe in blocking the road,” he added.

Senior CPIM leader Sujan Chakraborty said, “The CM must take action against her minister. Maybe police are not behaving the way he wants them to. This statement is itself a big slap on the police’s face.”

TMC general secretary and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, “I will not comment without listening to the whole thing. But such statements should be avoided.”