Kolkata, Jul 19 (IANS): Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and activists on Thursday held 'cut money' protests in Kolkata and other districts, accusing the state's ruling Trinamool Congress members of extorting from the people in the name of providing benefits under various government welfare schemes.

State BJP activists held protest demonstrations outside the offices of district magistrates, Block Development Officers (BDOs), sub-divisional Officers (SDOs) and borough offices since Thursday morning and submitted deputations against those who have allegedly taken 'cut money' from the people.

BJP workers took part in protests in the districts and in Kolkata.

Some of the big protests were held outside BDO office in Rajarhat in north Kolkata suburban area, Behala and Alipore borough office in south Kolkata, district magistrate's office in Howrah, north Kolkata's Hatibagan, North 24 Parganas district's Basirhat and north Bengal's Siliguri.

A group of BJP activists blocked the road at North Kolkata's Hatibagan as they 'gheraoed' the Kolkata Municipal Corporation's borough office in the area accusing the employees and local councillors of taking cut money for even minimum infrastructural development work in the area.

In Basirhat, the saffron party workers clashed with police and tried to break the barricades. The police stopped them 200 meters away from a local borough office.

A clash broke out between Trinamool Congress and BJP activists in West Bardhaman district's Barabani after Trinamool-backed activists allegedly hurled crude bombs at the agitators.

State BJP leader Raju Banerjee held a demonstration outside Siliguri municipal corporation protesting against the alleged 'cut-money culture' prevailing among the civic body representatives there.