The BJP alleged that Union Minister Nisith Pramanik's convoy was attacked. (Representational)
The BJP on Thursday alleged that Union Minister of State (MoS) for Home Nisith Pramanik's convoy was attacked in West Bengal's Cooch Behar district, even as the police said that a "minor scuffle" had broken out as some people tried to wave black flags at him.
Mr Pramanik was in the Sitai area to visit the houses of BJP workers who were "assaulted" last week.
He questioned the security arrangements by the police.
Stones and crude bombs were hurled at his cavalcade by TMC supporters, the BJP alleged.
Rejecting the allegation, the TMC claimed the incident might have resulted due to infighting within the BJP. Police said a minor scuffle had ensued between men in the minister's convoy and some people who had come to demonstrate with black flags.
"There was a minor scuffle between people in the minister's convoy and bystanders carrying black flags when the cavalcade was passing through Sitai. During the scuffle, a few motorcycles were damaged. On-duty police officers intervened, and the situation was brought under control. We have not arrested anyone," Cooch Behar SP Sumit Kumar told PTI.
According to the police, there were 20 vehicles in Pramanik's convoy, and about 200 people on motorcycles were accompanying it.
The scuffle broke out when around five persons tried to wave black flags at Mr Pramanik, the MP of Cooch Behar, police said.
The minister later told reporters that the attackers will get a "reply".
"If they attack my convoy, we won't shower flowers on them. If they attack, they will get a reply," he said.
"I came here to meet BJP workers, who were assaulted a few days back. We stand with our party workers. We are not here to conduct any political programme. I just wanted to meet the party workers and their families," he added.
Clashes had broken out in the area between TMC and BJP workers last week, with some having sustained injuries in the incident.
Later in the day, talking to reporters, Mr Pramanik sought to know why people were allowed to gather on the road with sticks and other weapons as his convoy passed.
"The police was well aware of my convoy's route. How is that they could gather on the road with sticks and other weapons despite police presence? This question needs to be answered first. If the police had made foolproof arrangements, then how is that a threat was posed to my convoy?" he questioned.
Television grabs showed that two groups of people were engaged in stone-pelting as the Union minister visited the homes of saffron party workers in Sitai.
BJP's national vice-president Dilip Ghosh said it was shameful that a Union minister was "attacked" in West Bengal.
"This is a regular affair in the state, where opposition workers are also attacked and killed by the TMC regime. Earlier, our national president J P Nadda ji's convoy came under attack in South 24 Parganas district," he said.
A group of people, who the BJP claimed were TMC supporters, had attacked Nadda's convoy during his visit to Diamond Harbour in South 24 Parganas district in December 2020.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said, "We don't know what happened there, so it won't be right to comment. But I don't think the TMC is involved in it. It must be due to infighting between the newcomers and old-timers of the BJP," Ghosh said.
Last week, North Bengal Development Minister Udayan Guha, a veteran politician of Cooch Behar, in a purported video, was heard asking TMC workers to wrench off the moustache and beard of Pramanik after ensuring a massive win for the party in the 2024 Lok Sabha poll.
Asked about the attack, Guha said, "No such incident has taken place in that area. The TMC is not involved in any form of violence; maybe BJP's infighting had led to some trouble."
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)