BJP scan on John Barla land grab charge: MP is accused of building a house on the tea garden’s land and encroaching on a plot of the state PWD at Chamurchi More

Insiders said senior state leaders had met and spoken to their colleagues to collect the details and gauge the political ramifications which the party might face in the region

John Barla: File picture

TT Bureau   |   Jalpaiguri, Alipurduar   |   24.07.21: The Bengal leadership of the BJP has started collecting details of the plots on which party MP and Union minister of state for minority affairs John Barla built a house and is constructing a commercial complex.

BJP insiders said senior state leaders had met and spoken to their colleagues in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar districts to collect the details and gauge the political ramifications which the party might face in the region.

Although Barla is the MP of Alipurduar, he hails from Lakhipara tea estate near Banarhat in Jalpaiguri district. The MP is accused of building a house on the tea garden’s land that was leased out to the company (that runs the estate) and encroaching on a plot of the state public works department at Chamurchi More in Banarhat and constructing a multistoried building there.

The Jalpaiguri district administration had conducted a probe last week and found out that Barla does not own either of the plots.

“Trinamul leaders, who had brought the issue to the administration’s notice, have been flagging the issue time and again. We are feeling awkward as we know the truth. That is why, we feel, the state leaders wanted to know the details of the issue from district leaders,” said a BJP leader in Jalpaiguri.

On Thursday, some of them held a meeting with Bapi Goswami, the Jalpaiguri district BJP president. The state leaders have also spoken to BJP officebearers in Alipurduar over the phone, said sources.

Although Goswami declined comments, the BJP insiders said the state leaders wanted to know how party supporters and people in general across the Dooars – both in Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar – were reacting to the charges against Barla.

The state leaders, the sources said, are also likely to forward their findings in the form of a report to the central leadership in Delhi.

“BJP functionaries in Alipurduar and Jalpaiguri have been asked to refrain from commenting on the issue in public. The party will also consult with legal experts,” a BJP leader said.

(https://www.telegraphindia.com/west-bengal/bjp-scan-on-john-barla-land-grab-charge/cid/1823684)