Kolkata, Sep 23 (PTI) The BJP on Wednesday sought to play down a public spat between two of its MLAs in West Bengal, with state party president Samik Bhattacharya saying there was “no conflict” between the legislators concerned.
The assertion came a day after the two legislators — Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay and Piyush Kanoria — were involved in a heated exchange at a public meeting in Dum Dum Park near here, where allegations of extortion and syndicate activities figured prominently.
In West Bengal politics, a syndicate refers to an agency, often backed by politicians, that forcefully supplies construction materials at inflated rates.
Mukhopadhyay, the state health minister and BJP MLA from Bidhannagar, was holding a public grievance meeting in Ward 28 of South Dum Dum Municipality when Kanoria, the party’s MLA from Rajarhat-New Town, arrived unexpectedly and took a seat among the people.
What followed was an unusual public display of disagreement between two ruling party legislators, with Kanoria raising questions about alleged syndicate activities and the presence of certain people, who were once associated with the TMC, in Dum Dum Park.
Asked about the episode, Bhattacharya said there was no conflict between the two MLAs.
The exchange, however, provided an early glimpse of the competing local political equations confronting the BJP in areas where it has come to power after dislodging the Trinamool Congress government.
The meeting began around 7.45 pm, with Mukhopadhyay reading out complaints submitted by locals. Several of the complaints, mostly anonymous, related to alleged extortion and syndicate operations.
Mukhopadhyay told those present that the allegations would be examined and asserted that residents were free to purchase construction materials from wherever they wanted.
“Fear is out, trust is in (after the BJP came to power). We will neither take money nor allow anyone to take money,” he said, while contrasting the situation with the previous TMC regime.
It was this reference to extortion and syndicate activities that appeared to trigger Kanoria’s intervention.
Initially reluctant to join the minister on the stage, Kanoria eventually took a seat beside Mukhopadhyay following repeated requests. But he later took the microphone and spoke at length about alleged attempts to bring back people whom he claimed had earlier been kept away from Dum Dum Park.
“I have never allowed anyone to run a syndicate,” Kanoria said, while referring to incidents in the area.
He alleged that people who had earlier been kept out of the area were being brought back politically and sought an explanation from Mukhopadhyay.
“Dum Dum Park is peaceful. Please ensure that it is not disturbed in any way,” Kanoria said.
The episode left several local BJP workers surprised, particularly because Kanoria is the MLA from a neighbouring constituency but describes Dum Dum Park as his ancestral home and says he remains connected to the area.
Mukhopadhyay later sought to distance himself from the controversy.
“He came and sat downstairs. Later, after I asked him, he came up and sat beside me. If the party wants to know anything about what happened, I will inform the party,” Mukhopadhyay said.
Kanoria, for his part, said there was nothing unusual about his presence at the meeting, pointing out that Dum Dum Park was his ancestral locality.
“I am a resident of Dum Dum Park. I have never allowed anyone to carry out terror or wrongdoing in South Dum Dum Municipality. I have tried to ensure that people’s work is done properly and that they get justice. If anyone tries to undermine that, I will not remain silent,” he said.
The incident has nevertheless triggered discussion within the BJP about competing local power centres at a time when the party is only a few months into its tenure in the state.
For Mukhopadhyay, who has recently stepped up public outreach and made surprise visits to government hospitals, the grievance meeting was intended to project a government willing to listen to complaints at the grassroots.
But the meeting also exposed a political paradox: a platform meant to reassure residents that alleged extortion and syndicate practices of the previous regime would not return became the setting for a public disagreement between two BJP legislators over precisely those issues. PTI PNT NN
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