Support boost aim by TMC women

Susmita Sengupta in Siliguri on Thursday. Picture by Passang Yolmo

TT, Siliguri, Feb. 2: Trinamul's Darjeeling district women's wing today said it would consolidate its support base in Siliguri subdivision by highlighting alleged incompetence of the Left Front-ruled Siliguri Municipal Corporation and Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad.

Susmita Sengupta, the president of Trinamul's district unit, today said an extensive campaign would be launched across the subdivision. The announcement came on the same day a new 57-member committee of Trinamul's district women's wing was formed here.

"As per instructions of the district leadership, we have to consolidate support, especially among women, who are suffering everyday because of poor civic services in Siliguri, right from conservancy to water supply," Sengupta said.

"We would also point out that the poor and needy women are completely ignored by the SMC and the SMP boards. No help through social welfare and self-employment schemes is provided to most of them," she added.

The district Trinamul has concluded its month-long agitation across the town recently in protest against alleged incompetence of the SMC board that is headed by mayor Asok Bhattacharya.

"For the past couple of months, Trinamul has been constantly agitating against the civic board and has held several programmes. The party has gone to the extent of publishing a white paper to refute the mayor's claim that the state is biased against the civic board. Now, it seems the party is planning to use its frontal organisations, including the women's front, to get into each household and consolidate support among women of different age groups, both in the town and rural areas," a political observer said.