Mamata visits injured BJP MP Khagen Murmu at Siliguri hospital, assures him of all help
Siliguri (PTI): West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday visited BJP MP Khagen Murmu at a private hospital in Siliguri, where he was undergoing treatment after being assaulted during a visit to flood and landslide-affected areas in the northern part of the state a day ago.
The CM's visit comes a day after a political storm erupted over the assault of two BJP leaders – Maldaha Uttar MP Khagen Murmu and Siliguri MLA Sankar Ghosh – at Nagrakarta in Jalpaiguri district in flood-ravaged north Bengal.
Banerjee spent a few minutes speaking to the injured MP, his wife, and son, before consulting the team of doctors attending to him.
According to sources, Banerjee enquired in details about the MP's condition, including his injuries and medications.
"Do you have diabetes? Are you taking insulin and medicines regularly?" she was heard asking Murmu.
Before leaving, the chief minister requested him to follow medical advice carefully and told his family that the government would extend all necessary help.
"If you need any assistance or further treatment elsewhere, please let me know," Banerjee reportedly said.
However, it was still not clear whether Banerjee met BJP MLA Sankar Ghosh, who is also admitted at the hospital.
Ghosh and Banerjee share an acrimonious relationship following several occasions of verbal duels on various issues on the floor of the assembly.
The West Bengal BJP welcomed the CM's gesture but wondered why not a single arrest has been made, even after 24 hours have passed since the incident.
"This was a courtesy visit. But it is really appalling that even after 24 hours have passed, the police have not made any arrest and the culprits, who assaulted Murmu and Ghosh, are roaming free," state BJP president Samik Bhattacharya said.
Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, Suvendu Adhikari, claimed that Murmu suffered facial injuries.
Speaking to reporters at the hospital, the BJP MLA said, "She visited one of the two injured but did not enquire how it happened. She is trying to shield her party workers who were involved in the attack."
"As Murmu has been advised not to speak due to serious facial injury, he could not pose relevant questions to her about the involvement of TMC workers and why no arrests have been made so far," he added.
Adhikari also dismissed the CM's claim that the BJP leaders had visited the spot in a convoy of 20 cars which infuriated locals.
He said the BJP leaders' convoy comprised not more than four-five cars and included central security forces, while both police and local panchayat officials had prior information about their visit and the number of vehicles.
The BJP leader said that as advised by members of the medical board of the hospital, Murmu will undergo treatment in the same private medical facility for another three weeks, while Ghosh will be discharged in one-two days.
A full-blown confrontation broke out on Monday between the Centre and the West Bengal government over the attack on Murmu and Ghosh by a mob.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had on Monday night condemned the attack, terming it "outright appalling" and "reflective of the absolutely pathetic law and order situation" in the state.
Banerjee hit back, accusing the PM of "politicising a natural disaster", instead of standing by the people during their time of distress.
Torrential rain triggered flash floods and landslides in north Bengal, leaving 32 people dead and several missing.
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Evading core issue: Siddaramaiah slams Centre on sugarcane FRP in letter to Pralhad Joshi
Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched a sharp attack on the Central Government Saturday, accusing it of "evading the core issue" of the widening gap between cultivation costs and the price realisation for sugarcane, which he stated has pushed lakhs of farmers into distress.
In a detailed, three-page letter to Union Minister Pralhad Joshi, Siddaramaiah dismantled the Centre's claims on the Fair and Remunerative Price (FRP), ethanol blending, and financial support to the state.
The Chief Minister's letter was a direct rebuttal to one he had received from Joshi regarding the "plight of sugarcane farmers in Karnataka."
"Farcical" FRP claims
Siddaramaiah challenged the Centre's announced FRP of ₹355 per quintal at 10.25% recovery, calling the government's claim of a 105.2% margin over production cost "unfortunately, a farce."
"Every farmer in Karnataka knows that since 2014, the cost of fertilizers, labour, transportation, and other inputs have more than doubled," Siddaramaiah wrote. He contrasted this with the FRP, which he stated has increased at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of just 4.47% since 2014, rising from ₹210 to ₹355.
He also pointed out that the FRP was not increased for two consecutive years during the NDA regime, causing an average loss of ₹20 per quintal to farmers. This, he argued, was in stark contrast to the UPA years, when the CAGR for FRP was 12.96%.
The Chief Minister accused the Central Government of "artificially pegging higher" the recovery rate to manipulate the numbers. "While it was 9.5% during UPA, the NDA government raised it to 10.25%, reducing the effective FRP," the letter stated. "On a comparable 9.5% recovery rate, the present FRP is only ₹329 per quintal, making the real growth a meagre 3.8% CAGR. This manipulation of numbers has betrayed the farmers."
Siddaramaiah also refuted the Centre's portrayal of ethanol blending as a "boon" to the sugar sector. He argued that the financial benefits are not being passed on to the farmers.
UPA Era: With ethanol blending below 5% and 9.5% recovery, the FRP recorded a robust CAGR of 12.96%.
NDA Era: With ethanol blending at approximately 20% and 10.25% recovery, the CAGR has "dropped to just 3.8%."
He noted that ethanol supply from Karnataka distilleries has only "marginally" increased from 38 crore litres in 2022-23 to 47 crore litres in 2024-25, despite an installed capacity of 270 crore litres.
The larger question remains unanswered," he wrote, "why has the benefit of ethanol blending not been passed on to the farmers?
The Chief Minister made several demands and accusations:
New MSP mechanism: He urged the Centre to devise a new MSP for sugar that categorises "domestic and commercial consumption separately," so that higher profits from commercial sales are reflected in the price paid to farmers.
Data transparency: Challenging claims that the Centre has provided "substantial financial assistance" to sugar mills, Siddaramaiah demanded the "mill-wise data" of such support in Karnataka to verify if the benefits "have truly reached the intended stakeholders."
Absence of Union Ministers: He expressed disappointment that "none of the Union Ministers from Karnataka attended the meeting held on 7th November 2025," where stakeholders were invited to discuss the issue.
Tax devolution: He accused the Union Government of a "step-motherly attitude," claiming Karnataka has been denied "over ₹2 lakh crore" in its rightful share of tax devolution and grants over the past five years.
Siddaramaiah concluded with a direct appeal to Joshi as a "senior Union Minister from Karnataka" to "stand with the farmers."
"The real measure of governance is not in statistical claims but in the smiles on the faces of farmers," he wrote.
