Kolkata, 22 December (H.S.) :

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s address was briefly disrupted on Monday after a microphone malfunction occurred during a meeting of Trinamool Congress booth-level agents in Kolkata. The incident took place at the Netaji Indoor Stadium, where Banerjee expressed strong displeasure and raised the possibility of deliberate sabotage, warning of strict action.

Reacting sharply from the stage as the technical snag surfaced, the Chief Minister questioned the preparedness of the organisers and the role of the police and party workers in ensuring smooth arrangements. She said such repeated disruptions could not be treated as routine technical issues.

Banerjee asked why microphones at the stadium were not functioning properly and why the police were not maintaining adequate vigilance. She also criticised party workers for not assisting in managing the arrangements and openly questioned whether the disruption was part of a conspiracy. The Chief Minister made it clear that she would not ignore the matter this time and would take action.

The meeting, convened on Monday afternoon, was attended by a large number of TMC booth-level agents and had begun as scheduled. However, the microphone failure midway through Banerjee’s speech led to a brief interruption in the programme.

Following the Chief Minister’s intervention, the technical issue was rectified and the meeting resumed, allowing the event to proceed as planned.

Hindusthan Samachar / Satya Prakash Singh