Siliguri TMC leaders told to cement base

TT,  Jul 15, 2018, Siliguri: The Bengal Trinamul leadership has told party leaders in Siliguri subdivision to spread out to different areas to galvanise the support or else face "consequences.".

The message was conveyed by minister Aroop Biswas, who is also the party's observer for Darjeeling district, early this week, said sources.

On Thursday, Biswas met district leaders, including state tourism minister Gautam Deb who is the Trinamul president of Darjeeling (plains) district, here.

At the meeting, he assigned responsibilities of different areas of the subdivision to the leaders, instructing them to work in those places and build up support for the party.

While Gautam Deb was assigned with the entire civic area of Siliguri (comprising 47 wards), Krishna Paul, a senior leader of Trinamul, has been provided with the responsibility of Matigara and Naxalbari blocks.

Ranjan Sarkar, the leader of opposition at the Siliguri Municipal Corporation, Kajal Ghosh, who holds a similar post in the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad and Nantu Paul, a senior councillor, was assigned with Khoribari and Phansidewa blocks.

The reason for assigning such responsibilities, party sources said, is Trinamul's pathetic performance in the elections held in the subdivision since 2011.

Trinamul insiders said the leadership had also passed a clear message that if the Siliguri leaders could not garner substantial votes in the coming polls to the Lok Sabha, SMC and the SMP, they might face music. #"They might be given insignificant posts and new leaders might be brought in. Back to back defeats of the party in Siliguri subdivision during the past six-seven years have already led to criticisms within the party," he said.

At the meeting, the district leaders were also told to start working at micro levels to build support for the elections of local bodies.

SMC and SMP are the only two local bodies in north Bengal, where the Left is in power.

"The state leadership feels a section of leaders here should shun the laidback attitude and start putting their efforts. A last minute rush would not do much good, they have been told," said an insider.