BJP invites Oppn leaders to Gadkari Siliguri event

The BJP has this time around invited leaders of other parties to a programme here tomorrow when union minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for an elevated Balasan-Sevoke Army Cantonment road project in Siliguri.

SNS, SILIGURI, 16 NOVEMBER 2022: At a time when controversy has cropped up over invitations to leaders of opposition parties as well as people's representatives in state government programmes in the Trinamool Congress government in West Bengal, the BJP in Siliguri has played a different role by inviting political leaders and people's representatives belonging to other political parties in its programme.

People's representatives belonging to other political parties have been criticising the TMC-run government, saying that it does not involve them in many state government programme. The BJP has this time around invited leaders of other parties to a programme here tomorrow when union minister Nitin Gadkari is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for an elevated Balasan-Sevoke Army Cantonment road project in Siliguri.

Asked to comment, Siliguri Mayor and senior TMC leader Gautam Deb said: "MP Raju Bista phoned me, but I have not yet received an invitation letter from the National Highway Authorities."

"I will decide if I will attend the event, if I get an invitation," Mr Deb added.

Sources said Mr Gadkari has invited Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee too, informing her of his programme in West Bengal.

On the other hand, Mr Deb also claimed that Miss Banerjee herself talked to Mr Gadkari several times, and she had written to former PM Mamohan Singh twice and requested him to implement the project.

"I know about the project ever since it was conceived. I was also involved in its plan and design for the four-lane and six-lane road. The state government will implement it based on the central government's plan and design and its funding from the Centre," Mr Deb said.

"In fact, it is the state government's fund, which has collected by the Centre from the state, and it has been allotted for the project," he added.

"It is a much-awaited project and important in the interest of the country's security as the region is close to Nathu La, the Indo-China border. We are happy that they finally woke up to implement the project for the development of infrastructure here," Mayor Deb said.

Darjeeling MP Raju Bista, on the other hand, said that the BJP believes in good culture in politics.

"We pay respect to the Opposition over the issue of development. For the development of Siliguri and Darjeeling, I don't believe in narrow politics. Being an MP I have invited political leaders and people's representatives belonging to other political parties to attend tomorrow's programme," he said.

"I have talked to Siliguri Mayor Gautam Deb twice personally, inviting him to attend the programme of the Union Minister of Road, Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. National Highway Authorities have served invitation to him officially. Member of Rajya Sabha Shanta Chhetri has also been invited officially I also phoned the former mayor, former Siliguri MLA and former state urban development minister and invited him, as our guardian, to attend tomorrows foundation laying ceremony."

"But what has the Trinamool Congress done? I had received an invitation letter from the Darjeeling administration to attend a programme of the birth anniversary of Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose earlier, while significantly, the administration later withdrew the invitation," he added.