West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee has opened a Pandora's Box of Trouble by raising the "cut money" issue in her party. The TMC supremo had recently instructed all her party members to return any cut money, if taken over the years, to the people with immediate effect.

In one of her addresses last week, Banerjee had told her party members to return the cut money ever taken for the purpose of delivering a government project - ranging from a house to anything else in any programme or scheme.

Banerjee had said, "For any programme or scheme, if anyone tries to take any amount from the poor people then they can complain. If anyone has ever taken any cut money and are still in my party, then please return back the cut money. I believe, the poor have the right to own a home... Whatever schemes I have implemented must be done the way they are... You do not have any right to take a rupee from it... The same way, no one can take cut money. I will also conduct a meeting to make people in panchayat understand that the government properties are not to be kept in their name, but for public as many people are unaware of it. This party is not a weak one."

The TMC leaders are now facing backlash as people have started holding violent protest rallies, and they are even facing charges, with the demands of returning the cut money they have taken in the past, for providing benefits to the people.

A Janapada village under Mongalkote police station area, East Bardhaman, held kangaroo court to get back their cut money from the TMC leaders. The villagers were given forms to be filled on how much money they had paid as cut money to the TMC leaders over the years - for housing schemes.

The amount ranged from Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000, for Indira Awaas Yojana (IAY). The villagers filled the forms and then the leaders were charged based on the same.

A villager confessed, "They [TMC leaders] had come to us and said that a form had come on my wife's name. Then they demanded Rs 7,000. I initially paid only Rs 5,000 and just a few days ago I paid the remaining Rs 2,000."

Another villager said, "I'm supposed to get Rs 22,000, they have taken Rs 5,000 from me. When I said that I won't pay any money I was forced to pay the amount. They didn't even consider that I'm blind and kept on forcing me to pay the money."

These confessions by the villagers have left the TMC worried, following which they are blaming that the BJP is bringing up the issue intentionally at panchayat level.

Prasenjit Laha from BJP worker said, "We, on behalf of the BJP, are circulating a form to every houses which the TMC workers have charged as cut money. We received that information and will take legal action against them so that the common people get their money back."

Defending himself, TMC leader Ramzan Shiekh said, "All of them are lying. All of them are BJP workers. They have conducted the meeting among themselves. Who is saying that we have taken cut money? We have only done development. If you go outside you will find how our leader Mamata Banerjee has been developing our state. People who said that I have instructed to do so are not TMC workers, they are BJP workers, we never take cut money."

On Monday, BJP supporters held protests across the state demanding return of cut money. In its statewide programme, the SP and DM offices of various districts were gheraoed and violent incidents were reported.

Amid the violence, police urged the protesters to lodge complaints against the accused instead of going for violent protests.