Left Front places memorandum to guv in Darjeeling

EOI, Darjeeling, 17 October 2014: The Darjeeling district unit of the Left Fronton Friday submitted a memorandum to Governor Kesharinath Tripathi making charges of corruption

and intimidation by North Bengal Development Department minister Gautam Deb

and demanding his intervention.

A seven-member delegation led by Left Front convener Ashok Bhattacharya met the Bengal governor here at the Raj Bhawan this morning. 

After meeting Tripathi, Bhattacharya said, “The minister is indulging in unconstitutional activities and flaunting his power and status to intimidate rival party members, including the general public. His intention is clearly to spread a reign of terror in violation of his post. This is wrong and something needs to be done to stop his activities, which is

why we have taken the occasion of the governor’s visit to beseech his help.”

The Left Front’s memorandum pointed to the recent assault on residents of Ward 5 in Siliguri by Deb. “A delegation from the ward had approached the NBDD minister for a discussion on an issue, but astonishingly, the latter who was accompanied by a huge contingent of police personnel and party cadres, beat up some members of the delegation including a lady without any reason,” said Bhattacharya, alleging that in spite of a complaint being lodged, the police took no action.

The Left Front delegation also brought to the governor’s attention the refusal of the state government to conduct elections to the Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad and the Siliguri Municipal Corporation. “Elections to the panchayat and corporation have not been held and they are being presently being run by administrators. Alarmingly, the minister has virtually usurped all powers of the local bodies, putting the rights and interests of the people in peril,” said the Left Front convener, adding Deb’s interference in matters

other than those related to the NBDD is unnecessary and uncalled for.

In the same vein, the former urban development minister pointed out at Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s undue interference in the functioning of the Gorkhaland Territorial Administration. “On the one hand, she resents CBI and NIA inquiries saying they are interference in the state’s matters, and at the same time she has no hesitation to involve herself in the GTA and other local bodies,” alleged Bhattacharya.

The Left Front memorandum also sought the governor’s intervention in demanding for a CBI inquiry into the massive financial scam with respect to the Siliguri Jalpaiguri Development Authority. “The SJDA is involved in a scam of more than Rs200 crore. We had submitted a memorandum in 2012 to unearth the perpetrators of this scam, but no measures have been taken to correct it,” concluded Bhattacharya.