Panchayat blame game

TT, Alipurduar/Purulia: The blame game between the BJP and Trinamul that intensified in the run-up to the Bengal rural polls in May has returned after a lull as the dates for formation of panchayat boards draw close.

BJP leaders have accused Trinamul of resorting to poaching and coercion to get their elected members and bag rural bodies where the ruling party is short of a majority.

Trinamul secretary-general Partha Chatterjee termed the allegations "baseless". "No one is being forced or lured to join us. People are coming on their own to be part of the development yagna (ritual) of Mamata Banerjee."

In Alipurduar's Kumargram, BJP leaders claimed a party panchayat member had been abducted. "Some Trinamul-backed miscreants dragged Gopal Krishna Roy into a car and drove away on August 15," said Timir Das, a BJP leader.

In Chengmari, where Roy was allegedly abducted, the panchayat has 10 seats. BJP and Trinamul have won five each and the new board is to be formed on August 27. "The magic figure to bag the panchayat is six. So, either side needs a member from the other party," said an observer.

In Purulia, a zilla parishad member and six panchayat members of the BJP have switched to Trinamul in the past week. "Trinamul is trying to gain control of the rural bodies through unethical means," said state BJP general secretary Sayantan Basu.