West Bengal BJP on Friday (17 April) accused the Mamata Banerjee administration of preventing its MPs from distributing relief to the needy by deploying the police to limit their movements through house detention and filing of cases as an intimidatory tactics.

State BJP General Secretary Sayantan Basu alleged that while the ruling Trinamool Congress leaders and workers were virtually escorted by the police to distribute relief, the saffron party's MPs were ''virtually under house arrest''.

"An FIR has been filed against our MP from Bankura Subhas Sarkar for a social media post about the "hasty cremation" of two persons," said Basu.

He said the BJP Lok Sabha member from Alipurduar John Barla is in "virtual house arrest" for over four days.

Barla in a video post alleged that a large posse of policemen have laid siege on his house and were not allowing him to step out.

"I am an elected Lok Sabha member. I am receiving phone calls from all over the constituency with people complaining of lack of food. I want to reach out to them with relief. But the cops are guarding my residence round the clock and not allowing me," he said.

In a complaint to Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Barla sought his help and support so that he could reach out to the needy people in their hard times.

Jayanta Roy, a doctor-MP from Jalpaiguri, is also not being allowed to leave his house so as to prevent him from distributing relief. He is also virtually under house arrest.

The Lok Sabha member from Barrackpore Arjun Singh also had heated exchanges with the police after his car was stopped in Amdanga of 24 Parganas (North) district, where he had gone to distribute relief.

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. Only the headline has been changed.)