KOLKATA: Vidyasagar Setu on Friday night was the scene of a heated exchange between state’s IT minister Babul Supriyo and BJP’s Tamluk MP Abhijit Ganguly, leading to a 20-minute-long traffic snarl.
Following this incident, Supriyo filed a GD with Howrah Police.
Witnesses and police said the dispute was possibly over honking by the driver of the MP’s car. Supriyo, who was driving his car, claimed he noticed a car with a hooter approaching at a high speed from behind and honked incessantly.
He said he was not aware that Ganguly was in the car when he decided to speak to the driver. He alleged that it was then that Ganguly, who was in the rear seat of the car, used inappropriate language.
Supriyo then retorted: “You honk, hit and run… that’s your business. But who uses such language (unprintable word)? You carry yourself as if you’re an image of God! Everything you’re doing is illegal…”
Ganguly claimed it was Supriyo who had blocked his car, charged at the driver and verbally abused him. He claimed he had everything recorded to prove his point. “I was heading towards Howrah and was in a hurry. So my driver honked. Suddenly, a car blocked my way, and the man at the wheel shouted, asking why the driver was honking. I told my driver to honk again and see what happens. Then I saw Supriyo get out of the car, along with three or four others. He hurled abuses. He hit my car window and gestured aggressively. My Y-plus category security personnel restrained him,” said Ganguly.
In a video that has surfaced, Supriyo can be heard demanding an apology from the MP. While the MP did not alight from the car, his security guards were seen trying to pacify Supriyo. Other motorists stopped to see the fracas, leading to a snarl on the bridge. After police intervened, Supriyo got into his car and drove away.
On Saturday, social activist Pratap Basu lodged a complaint against both the minister and the MP. He stated that if ordinary people were involved in such an incident, the police would have taken immediate action. However, because these individuals are influential, they were let off.
