Monodeb Sinha, the Trinamul Congress MLA of Karandighi in North Dinajpur district, has caused embarrassment for the ruling patty in Bengal with the BJP launching a bitter attack on him for receiving a jab on the first day of the Covid-19 vaccination drive.

Sources said, Sinha, who is the chairman of the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) of the block health centre of Karandighi, had reached the facility on Saturday to inaugurate the vaccination drive. The MLA then took the jab at the centre.

“It is unfortunate that the MLA did not think about common people and frontline health workers. Instead, he went ahead proactively for the inoculation. We fail to understand how officials of the district health department endorsed the move,” said Biswajit Lahiri, the BJP district president of North Dinajpur.

The MLA, however sounded unperturbed and said being the RKS chairman of the block health centre, his name was on the list and accordingly, he had received the jab.

“There is no anomaly in it. A number of other people who hold similar position in different health establishments of the state have also received the vaccine,” Sinha said.

On Saturday, Manjula Lama, the sabhapati of Kumargram panchayat samiti of Alipurduar, had invited criticism for the same reason.

Amid the controversy on whether the MLA did the right thing by receiving the jab, the North Dinajpur district health officials have also backed the MLA’s move.

“He is the RKS chairman and has hence, received the vaccine. We are acting according to the laid down guidelines in choosing people who should receive the vaccine in the first phase,” said Kartick Chandra Mondal, the chief medical officer of health of the district.

A section of Trinamul leaders, however, said the MLA should have refrained from the move. They said even if the district health department had included Sinha’s name as one of the beneficiaries, he himself should have refrained from taking the jab like Sourav Chakraborty, the MLA of Alipurduar (who is also the RKS chairman of Alipurduar district hospital).

“Such moves unnecessarily provide opportunities to the Opposition ahead of the elections. Being an elected representative, he should have acted more responsibly,” said a party insider.