TMC-BJP trade charges over demolition of a construction at a saffron party leader's house

PTI, 19 August, 2023, Kolkata: The ruling TMC and opposition BJP Saturday traded charges after the city civic body bulldozed part of an illegal structure that provides sitting arrangement outside the house of a saffron party leader.

The two sides nearly came to blows as BJP councillors led by Sajal Ghosh staged a noisy protest in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) headquarters and those of the TMC stiffly challenged it.

BJP councillor Sajal Ghosh claimed that the construction at the house of Sunil Singh, the leader of BJP’s Kolkata district committee, at Beadon Street in the northern part of the city was bulldozed by KMC’s demolition squad for political vendetta.

“Singh was targeted by the local TMC councillor for daring to protest against the party’s reign of terror in Shyampukur constituency in the city after the 2021 assembly poll,” Ghosh said.

TMC councillor of the area Taraknath Chatterjee denying the charge said, “There is no politics in the incident and KMC demolished a part of some structure built illegally over government land.” BJP state spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya said, “Earthmovers are used to raze down illegal structures built by gangsters and criminals in Uttar Pradesh under the rule of Yogi Adityanath, while in West Bengal bulldozers are being used to crush political opponents of the ruling party. This is being seen everywhere – from Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district to Beadon street in the heart of city.” BJP, he said, will hit the street to protest against the demolition by the TMC-ruled KMC.