NEW DELHI: Mahua Moitra on Thursday shared a video showing a group of men raising anti-TMC slogans against her aboard a flight and urged civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu to place them on the no-fly list.
Moitra said someone forwarded her the video after “Sanghis” made it viral on social media. The incident took place on an IndiGo flight from Kolkata to Delhi.
Moitra's Account of the Incident
“ALERT! i travelled to Delhi today on official work to attend meeting of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence. Was on seat 1F on 6E 719. 4-6 men boarded in a group & leered at me & went to back of plane. When flight landed & before doors opened this is what they did & filmed it . This is no “citizen anger”. This is harassment & violates my safety in an aircraft. No way that these louts can get away with this harassment inside an airplane. @IndiGo6E find your crew report, name & shame them & put on no flynlist @RamMNK please take action,” she posted on X.
“This is BJP culture. Why is anyone surprised? I ignored it & went to my mtng from airport. Then people forwarded me video which the Sanghis were “viralling”. That’s when I called it out. @IndiGo6E tells me they need a formal complaint. Which I am sending,” the TMC MP added.
Video Shows Sloganeering
In the video, a group of men can be heard raising slogans such as “Jai Shri Ram”, “TMC chor”, “Pishi chor”, “Bhaipo chor” and “Trinamoole sab chor.” Moitra is seen near the front of the aircraft collecting her luggage.
The slogans were apparently aimed at TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, the outgoing West Bengal chief minister, and her nephew and Trinamool MP Abhishek Banerjee.
Political Context
The Trinamool Congress, which had been in power in West Bengal since 2011, failed to secure a fourth straight term and won 80 seats in the 294-member assembly. The BJP secured 207 seats and is set to form its first government in the state.
Although Mamata Banerjee has refused to resign, alleging irregularities by the Election Commission, governor RN Ravi on Thursday dissolved the assembly, bringing the previous House’s five-year term to an end.
Union home minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Kolkata on Friday to announce the BJP’s chief ministerial pick for West Bengal, ahead of a grand swearing-in ceremony planned for the following day.
Suvendu Adhikari, once a close aide of Mamata Banerjee, has emerged as the frontrunner for the post after defeating her in both the 2021 Nandigram contest and the recent election from her Bhowanipore stronghold.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held on April 23 and 29, while counting of votes took place on May 4.
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