Bengal’s Eggtracy: The Mahua Moitra Incident and the Price of Political Vendetta

By MANISH ANAND

The attack on TMC MP Mahua Moitra, allegedly in full view of police, has intensified questions about law enforcement, political intolerance, and the state of democracy in West Bengal.

New Delhi, July 2, 2026 — Picture this. Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra hiding at an office of Trinamool Congress. Eggs are rained on her. She is hurt. Visibly, the TMC MP is in a state of shock. She records a video to show injury to her stomach. The police watch from a distance. Her plea that the police disperse the crowd is unheeded. Democracy in West Bengal seems to have taken a dramatic swing to eggtracy where eggs have been removed from the mid-dal meal of plates seemingly so that the people can throw them on the TMC leaders.

West Bengal in the aftermath of the Assembly poll verdict appears to have turned into a stage where the TMC leaders are targeted in the public for humiliation. Eggs are the weapons. In some cases, stones are also hurled.

It all began on the day of the counting of the votes. Former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had left the Bhawanipur constituency counting centre in a jiffy — allegedly because of intimidations by the workers of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Within days, Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC MP in the Lok Sabha, became the target of street attacks — stones, slaps, and shoves.

Afterwards, the episodes acquired the scale of a pandemic — TMC functionaries can be unclothed, assaulted, paraded on road, and, of course, rained with eggs. The role of the police seems largely that of a spectator as alleged by the TMC leaders.

The BJP leaders claim that the TMC functionaries are facing “popular anger.” Mamata Banerjee had ruled the state for 15 years. She faced accusations that she had deepened and institutionalised the “Syndicate Raj” of the Left days. The “cut money” culture allegedly defined the state during the TMC regime.

The West Bengal Police shot to an international fame for allegedly denying positive security check to former Editor of The Telegraph as he sought a renewal of his passport. The alibi was him removed from the voters’ list after the Special Intensive revision (SIR). On the day of the poll verdict, viral videos had shown some of the cops celebrating — possibly for josh that they will get the seventh pay commission pays.

The scale of egg attacks and other episodes after the poll verdict in West Bengal reveal the state succumbing to a kangaroo court culture. In China, Mao Zedong had something of this sort at a grand scale in his bid to permanently eliminate political rivals. But India is not China, and rule of law defines the Indian state.

West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari must heed to the order of the Calcutta High Court for filing of an FIR in each incident of attack on Opposition leader. The cost of ignoring the judicial order is big, paid by generations later.

(This is an opinion piece. Views expressed are the author’s own.)

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About The Author

Manish Anand

Manish Anand is a senior journalist with more than two decades of hardcore reporting on beats such as Prime Minister’s Office, Parliament, BJP, Congress, Planning Commission, NITI Aayog, and scores of Union Ministries.

His past has been with The New Indian Express, The Asian Age/Deccan Chronicle, and The Statesman.

For about 15 years, Manish was also a regular commentator and host for talks on AIR on foreign affairs.

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