BJP poll vow: Halt in border crimes: BJP leadership published the four-page manifesto

 On Monday, the BJP leadership published the four-page manifesto here which said if voted to power, the party will stop all illegal activities along international borders

Bista  (centre) with the BJP poll manifesto. : Passang Yolmo

Bireswar Banerjee   |   TT  |  Siliguri   |    14.06.22  : Issues like infiltration, smuggling, human trafficking, land grab and illegal mining found prominence in the BJP’s sankalp patra or manifesto ahead of the June 26 Siliguri Mahakuma Parishad polls.

On Monday, the BJP leadership led by Darjeeling MP Raju Bista published the four-page manifesto here which said if voted to power, the party will stop all illegal activities along  international borders.

The saffron camp’s promise to stop crimes at international borders — rural Siliguri shares borders with Bangladesh and Nepal —  drew a sharp response from Trinamul which pointed out that international border security was the domain of central paramilitary forces under the Union home ministry.

Border Security Force (BSF) guards the India-Bangladesh border. Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) guards the India-Nepal border.

“They should know international borders are guarded by central paramilitary forces. The party should instead clarify why the Centre is consistently cutting down allocations of welfare schemes and depriving our state,” said Trinamul veteran Gautam Deb.

Asked for a reply, a senior BJP leader said: “State police can’t evade responsibility because in many places crimes take place under their jurisdiction.”

Anandamoy Barman, president of BJP’s Siliguri (organisational) district, said: “We will also put every effort to stop encroachment of land by mafia and check illegal extraction of sand and stones from riverbeds. In every village, a committee will be formed for the safety of residents. We will ensure all central schemes meant for rural areas are implemented across the SMP area.”

Other issues include rejuvenation of rivers, digital governance in panchayats and modern farming methods. According to Barman, the party fielded candidates in around 90 per cent of the 537 seats for these rural polls.

Bista, also a national BJP spokesperson, underscored some key infrastructure projects of the Centre in the region.

“Around Rs 1,000 crore will be spent for the six-lane road to connect Balason river with Sevoke army cantonment. A similar amount will be spent to expand the Bagdogra airport. Funds will be spent for the alternative bridge over Teesta near Sevoke,” he said.