Stampede first big test for Suvendu-led govt
Kolkata, Oct. 19 -- The Chor Bagan stampede that left at least 19 dead and 25 injured a day earlier might have dealt a blow to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), although West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari ordered a probe and arrests, raising questions about accountability under his five-month-old government, people familiar with the matter said on Sunday.
"Our party landed in the crosshairs of the Opposition because Vijay Ojha, our Jorasanko MLA, became the chairman of the Chor Bagan Sarbojanin Durgatsav Samity in July. But he is not the only one. Many BJP MLAs and ministers in Bengal are associated with community puja committees," a BJP legislator said, requesting anonymity. "This happened despite repeated warnings against the trend by BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya," he added.
Organisers of some small-budget pujas said the old committees were "dismantled under instructions from local BJP leaders" and old committee members were asked to resign against their wishes in most cases.
"Ours is a small-budget puja but the old committee president, secretary and treasurer were made to resign and a new committee was formed. We got our puja grant from the government after that," a member of a puja committee in the Lake police station area said....
इस लेख के रीप्रिंट को खरीदने या इस प्रकाशन का पूरा फ़ीड प्राप्त करने के लिए, कृपया
हमे संपर्क करें.