TMC's Subrata Mukherjee urges protesters demanding return of 'cut money' to take legal recourse

Kolkata: Amid continued demonstrations by section of the people demanding the return of “cut money” from ruling Trinamool Congress leaders, senior minister Subrata Mukherjee urged the protestors to take legal course rather than taking law into their own hands. [caption id=“attachment_4879201” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Representational image. AFP[/caption] Had the protestors lodged complaints to the Grievance Redressal Management System (GRMS) in gram panchayats about the demand for cut money, quick action could have been taken, Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee said in the assembly. Elected representatives of the TMC at the municipal and panchayat levels in various districts are facing public ire over the issue of returning “cut money”. “Several incidents of protests have been reported in the media over beneficiaries seeking their money back from panchayat representatives,” Mukherjee said. Following protests by the people, several TMC leaders have returned lakhs of rupees taken as “cut money” from hundreds of beneficiaries of government schemes.“If any beneficiary has given cut money to a public representative, he or she should file a police complaint and seek legal action. If the allegation is proved, the accused would be punished as per law. And in the case of an allegation then, the complainant should be punished. But people should take law into their own hands,” Mukherjee said. He accused the CPI(M) and the BJP of fuelling protests over “cut money” in various parts of the state. The protests rocked the state following chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee’s 18 June warning to party leaders that those involved in collecting “cut money” from beneficiaries of government schemes should return it. At a meeting with TMC councillors, Banerjee had said, “I do not want to keep thieves in my party. If I take action they will join some other party. Some leaders are claiming 25 per cent commission for providing housing grants to the poor. This should stop immediately. Return the money if any of you have taken it.”