Kolkata, May 25 -- West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday held his second weekly 'Janata darbar', with job seekers, teachers, professionals and ordinary citizens turning up in large numbers to place their grievances directly before the state's CM.
The first 'Janata Darbar' was held on May 18.
On Monday, long before Adhikari arrived, hundreds of people thronged the BJP state office in Salt Lake near here, turning the narrow lanes around the building into a waiting lounge.
Job aspirants carried files, and elderly citizens clutched bundles of papers, while representatives from teaching associations, nurses, women police job seekers and others, hoping years of unanswered appeals would finally find a hearing, were present.
From early morning, long queues formed outside the party office as people carrying petitions and memoranda waited patiently for an opportunity to interact with the chief minister, who launched the initiative after assuming office on May 9 as part of a direct public outreach exercise.
As Adhikari reached the venue around 10 am, chants of "Jai Shri Ram", "Bharat Mata Ki Jai" and "Vande Mataram" echoed through the area.
Many had travelled from districts and far-flung corners of the state seeking a first-hand audience.
The gathering reflected the diversity of Bengal's social landscape - representatives of teachers' associations, Group D aspirants, medical professionals, part-time teachers, victims of alleged poll violence and individuals seeking intervention in civic and personal matters.
Inside the party office, around 100 individuals and delegations managed to place their grievances before the chief minister, according to party sources.
One of the day's most poignant moments came when 81-year-old Bhabanipur resident Prabir Mukhopadhyay met the chief minister with a complaint regarding an alleged land-for-flat dispute involving arrested businessman Biswajit Poddar alias "Sona Pappu" and promoter Joy Kamdar.
Mukhopadhyay claimed he had handed over ancestral land for a development project, but never received the promised flat after construction was completed. Living in a rented accommodation with his wife, the elderly petitioner later said he felt reassured after meeting the chief minister.
"I am relieved. He assured me that my issue would be looked into," he said.
The turnout, however, exceeded the venue's capacity, and many could not get entry despite waiting for hours.
Security personnel had a difficult time managing the crowds as people continued arriving throughout the day.
BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar was seen personally escorting an elderly citizen through the crowd after noticing his difficulty standing in the queue.
Earlier, after assuming office as Chief Minister, Adhikari had announced the launch of the "Janata Darbar" programme to directly hear and address public grievances. The BJP had stated that the Chief Minister would remain present at the party's Salt Lake office every Monday between 9 am and 11 am for interactions with citizens.
Several job seekers expressed hope that the new administration would address their concerns. One aspirant present outside the BJP office said they had come with "great expectations" to speak to the Chief Minister, alleging that the previous government did not listen to their demands despite repeated attempts to seek meetings. The aspirant further said that those among the 26,000 dismissed employees who were "eligible" were seeking a resolution at the earliest.
Senior BJP leaders, including Locket Chatterjee and Shashi Agnihotri, were also present at the Salt Lake office and helped conduct the programme. Adhikari reportedly held closed-door discussions with representatives of the job seekers' organisations while officials recorded complaints submitted by attendees.
Many who met the Chief Minister later said they felt relieved after being able to openly discuss their grievances and claimed they received assurances of intervention and possible solutions from the administration.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.