: The BJP delegation that went to Hooghly district to meet the financially-distressed potato farmers were allegedly heckled by Trinamool Congress (TMC) cadres on Sunday.
TMC MLA from the Haripal constituency in the district could not be reached for comments.
About five potato farmers allegedly committed suicide in the district.
The delegation comprising BJP national secretary Sidharth Nath Singh, West Bengal president Rahul Sinha, party MP from Darjeeling and other State leaders faced protest demonstrations from TMC supporters at various places in the district.
“TMC workers blocked our way in four places and heckled Mr. Singh at Chspandanga,” Mr. Sinha told The Hindu here on Sunday. He also alleged that TMC workers tried to intimidate local farmers so that they would not talk to the BJP delegation.
“Despite this, many farmers revealed their problems. They said had the State Government not imposed a ban on potato exports to other States, the present crisis could have been avoided,” said Mr. Sinha. He accused the TMC of neither doing anything to resolve the crisis neither allowing others to do so.
The delegation members said that they would file a report to the party’s Central leadership including party president Amit Shah about the potato farmers’ plight in the State.
On Saturday, Mr. Singh alleged that the flawed agricultural policies of the TMC government were behind the potato farmers’ suicide in Bengal.
‘The present crisis could have been avoided’
