West Bengal Food Minister Jyotipriya Mallick claims of receiving a death threat from Bangladesh.
He has accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate for the Bongaon constituency, Shantanu Thakur, of being behind the incident.
“My aide got a call from a supari killer [hitman] in Bangladesh on the morning of May 5,” the Trinamool Congress leader said.
“They said that when they came to know I was a minister, they backed off,” said Mallick, who also serves as the party’s North 24 Parganas unit president.
“Before hanging up the call, they told my aide, ‘Tell your boss that we didn’t take the job, but his life is in risk and he should be careful’.”
Mallick claimed that ‘his sources’ confirmed that BJP candidate Thakur was behind it.
Speaking to Bangla Tribune Thakur, however, denied the allegation.
“He has totally lost it. No one in Bongaon will believe that I will hire killers from Bangladesh to eliminate him. He’s only doing this since the Trinamool is losing the constituency,” he said.
Thakur, who had met with a serious road accident a few days ago, while on campaign trail, has been blaming Mallick for the accident.
The Thakur family refers to the clan that controls the politically influential 'Matua' sect that mostly consists of Dalits of Bangladeshi origin. The Thakur family is deeply involved in state politics. Thakur is the BJP’s Lok Sabha candidate from Bongaon while his aunt Mamata Bala Thakur is the Trinamool Congress’ candidate from the same seat.