Kicking off a controversy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek has publicly threatened to “chop off hands and tear out eyes” if anyone dared to challenge the ruling party.

“Those who dare to show their eyes, we will tear it out and throw it on the streets. If someone shows us their hands we will cut them off. But you have to remember that in democracy, it is the common man who will say the last word,” he said on Monday while addressing a meeting in Basirhat area of North 24 Parganas.

The comments of Abhishek, who heads the youth wing of Trinamool Congress, has attracted severe criticism from the other political parties.

“The comments are the reflection of the DNA of Trinamool Congress. This is what is expected of TMC and its leaders,” Bharatiya Janata Party national secretary Siddharth Nath Singh said.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Sujan Chakraborty said the proactive statements of Abhishek shows the mindset of Trinamool.

“I am not surprised by the statement. This is their ideology and mindset. Several TMC leaders had earlier spelt it out. Now Abhishek has said it,” Chakraborty said. 

In January this year, Abhishek was slapped by a youth at a rally at Chandipur in East Midnapore district, causing an outrage in the party.

The youth, wearing a cap, mounted the stage from which Banerjee was addressing the gathering and while clicking photos on his cell phone suddenly lunged towards Banerjee and slapped him, taking him off-guard.

Photograph: Mamata Banerjee's nephew Abhishek made the controversial comments at a meeting attended by senior party members. Photograph: Abhishek Banerjee/Facebook