Cooch Behar: District Trinamul leaders in Cooch Behar resorted to protests and a road blockade on Monday alleging that BJP supporters ransacked an e-rickshaw and assaulted one of their workers when he was making public announcements on a Trinamul help desk to open on Tuesday to help MGNREGS beneficiaries get their dues.

BJP leaders rubbished the charges.

After chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced that the state will pay the dues of around 21 lakh beneficiaries of the MGNREGS or 100 days’ work scheme who did not get wages because the Centre froze funds, her party has decided to run Sahayata Kendras or help desks across the state to help such people get their money.

“Accordingly, we decided to open a help desk in the market of Bhetaguri on Tuesday. On Monday, we were making public announcements so that people know about it. Suddenly, some BJP workers attacked the vehicle from where the announcement was being made and assaulted our worker Naresh Barman,” said Avijit De Bhowmik, the Cooch Behar district Trinamul president.

Naresh is hospitalised.

Bhetaguri is in Dinhata subdivision, the native place of Nisith Pramanik, the BJP MP of Cooch Behar and a junior Union minister.

Around 2pm, senior Trinamul leaders, including Bhowmik and NB development minister Udayan Guha blocked Dinhata-Cooch Behar Road in protest. With police help, the blockade lifted after half an hour.

“The Centre is not paying the dues and the BJP is resorting to highhandedness to prevent the disbursement of money to people by the state. People will give them an apt reply in the polls,” said Guha.

Sukumar Roy, the BJP president of Cooch Behar, countered: “If the state government is providing money, why will Trinamul have to make announcements for it? Basically, Trinamul leaders are trying to give money to their party men ahead of the polls. Genuine beneficiaries are angry with them.”