A BJP MLA spoke impromptu at a Trinamul demonstration at a venue in South Dinajpur, which was part of a statewide protest against the Centre for holding up funds for a number of central schemes in Bengal and failing to control the violence in Manipur.

On Sunday, Trinamul held demonstrations in all 341 blocks across Bengal in adherence to chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s announcement on August 2.

One of these was at Bataskuri More, a crossing in Gangarampur block of South Dinajpur, near the house of BJP MLA Satyendranath Roy.

Trinamul leaders shouted slogans against the Centre and accused BJP legislators from Bengal of not taking any initiative to get central funds released for the state.

The MLA was in a car moving out of his house when he saw the Trinamul protest in the afternoon. He got down from his car and walked up to the dais where a number of Trinamul leaders were seated amid hundreds of standing supporters.

Surprised Trinamul leaders greeted the BJP MLA but asked him why the Centre was not releasing funds to Bengal.

Roy asked for a microphone and said he had no problem with Trinamul’s sit-in near his house.

“The central government has stopped providing funds to the state, and thus, work of different welfare schemes got disrupted. I agree with their statement. However, I have heard that such a decision was made because of certain anomalies in the accounting that mentions the utilisation of the (central) funds. As a BJP MLA, I want the state and the Centre to sit together and resolve the issue. The onus is with the governments and not the MLAs. I want the poor to get benefits of MGNREGS (100 days’ work) and the housing scheme,” he said.

Later, the Trinamul camp claimed that even a BJP MLA endorsed their demand.

Samik Bhattacharya, the state BJP spokesperson, called Roy’s visit to a Trinamul event “undoubtedly unconventional” but added that what the MLA said “was absolutely in line with the party’s stand”.