Kolkata, July 31 -- Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP, seen as being aligned with the Mamata Banerjee camp, on Friday alleged in a video message that the BJP government was using the police to destabilise elected panchayat samitis across Bengal.
She claimed that efforts are underway in every block to break Panchayat samitis through police action.
Referring to an incident involving a member of the Karimpur-I Panchayat Samiti, Moitra alleged that the member was asked on Thursday night to visit the local police station.
"Police cannot simply ask someone to come to the police station. A notice under Section 35 is required," she said.
Moitra further alleged that after being called to the police station, elected members could be detained there and subsequently arrested on the basis of an FIR filed by BJP members.
According to her, the BJP is attempting to remove elected panchayat representatives and take control of panchayat bodies through such tactics.
Her allegations come at a time when several panchayats across the state have reportedly remained dysfunctional since the Assembly election result. Earlier, Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh had also accused the BJP of attempting to capture panchayat bodies through political pressure and administrative means.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.