South Malda MP Isha Khan Choudhury on Thursday hit back at chief minister Mamata Banerjee over her indirect remarks allegedly blaming him for inciting communal unrest in the Samserganj area of Murshidabad.
Addressing a press conference in Malda, Khan challenged the chief minister to prove her claim and declared he would resign from Parliament if found guilty.
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“If the chief minister can prove that I was responsible for the Samserganj violence, I will step down as an MP. But if she fails to substantiate her statement, will she resign as chief minister?” Mr Khan asked.
Mr Khan Choudhury expressed deep shock over Miss Banerjee’s comments made during a meeting with Imams in Kolkata on Wednesday, where she hinted at a political hand behind the violence without naming him directly. “Her statement has caused great hurt and humiliation to our party workers and leaders,” Mr Khan Choudhury said.
Recounting his actions in the aftermath of the violence, he said: “I rushed to the affected areas in Samserganj soon after the incident. The director general of police was present there and I met him personally. Later, on the advice of the police, I refrained from visiting sensitive locations and even postponed planned party programmes, including those on the Waqf Amendment and the demands of jobless teachers, in order to maintain peace.”
He warned that Miss Banerjee’s remarks had provoked unrest among his party workers. “They now want to launch protest rallies. In this situation, how am I supposed to stop them?” he asked.
Mr Khan Choudhury also accused both the Trinamul Congress and BJP of playing divisive politics with an eye on the 2026 Assembly elections. “In 2021, NRC-I was used as a political weapon. Now, NRC-II is being prepared as the next tool for electoral gains,” he alleged.
The South Malda MP further informed that he would lodge a police complaint on Friday against Union minister of state for education Sukanta Majumdar, who allegedly showcased a sharp weapon while commenting on the violence in Mothabari.
“I will visit the troubled areas personally on Saturday,” he added.
