Kolkata, May 25 -- Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders Babul Supriyo and Kunal Ghosh on Monday accused the new Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government of evicting hawkers from encroached government land and setting up "holding centres" in West Bengal for illegal foreigners.

"The ongoing hawker eviction drives are part of a larger strategy, a planned political operation. A party that came to power promising 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikash' cannot show religious and political preference in its action. A chief minister represents everyone. He must show mercy for the poor," said Supriyo, who switched from being a BJP Union minister in 2021, in a press conference alongside TMC state general secretary and MLA Kunal Ghosh.

Supriyo referred to the evic...