Bengal BJP's clean governance promise lies in tatters

Since coming to power in West Bengal two months ago, the BJP government has moved quickly to reopen old cases involving Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders, promising a new era of accountability and clean governance. Chief minister Suvendu Adhikari declared that the rule of law would prevail and instructed the police to register complaints and investigate offences regardless of political affiliation. Women’s safety was also announced as one of the government’s highest priorities.

However, events unfolding across the state are raising serious questions about whether those promises apply equally to BJP leaders and workers. While old files against political opponents are being reopened, allegations involving BJP leaders continue to mount, with many complainants alleging slow investigations, delayed FIRs or no visible police action at all. Increasingly, ordinary people are beginning to question whether the administration is willing to act when the accused belong to the ruling party.

One of the most striking examples involves BJP leader and lawyer Dalia Ghosh Basu, president of the party’s ward no. 4 mandal committee in Behala Purba, who has alleged that she was assaulted by fellow BJP workers, naming BJP MLA Shankar Sikdar, his associate Badal Duari and several others in a written complaint submitted to Thakurpukur police station on 6 July.

According to her, she had gone to Abahan community hall in Shilpara after learning of a violent clash between two BJP factions. She said police officers were already present when the MLA arrived and that she was punched in the face and abused in front of them. More than a week after she lodged the complaint, no FIR has reportedly been registered despite CCTV cameras covering the area.

The contradiction between the chief minister’s public instructions and the handling of this case has fuelled criticism. Sadhu Das, a BJP worker close to Basu, said, “If even a BJP functionary and practising lawyer cannot secure prompt legal action after alleging assault by senior party figures, many ask what hope an ordinary citizen has.”

Questions have also emerged over attempts by BJP leaders to extend party influence into local administration. BJP Bardhaman organisational district president Abhijit Tah formally wrote to the TMC-run Saraitikar gram panchayat, authorising three BJP workers to submit documents, complete ‘panchayat-related formalities’ and sign at ‘authorised places’. Critics argued that such appointments have no constitutional or administrative standing.

Congress-affiliated INTUC leader Gaurab Samaddar asked, “By issuing such a letter, the BJP district president is effectively authorising party workers to run the panchayat. Is this constitutionally permissible, or is it simply a case of might is right?” Observers also noted that while political parties may appoint organisational representatives internally, they possess no legal authority over panchayat administration.

On the streets, allegations of intimidation continue to surface. In Bijpur, BJP leader Parimal Kundu was accused of threatening a resident while demanding money. According to local allegations, when the demand was not met, the resident’s house was attacked three days later by Kundu’s associates.

Meanwhile, in Bankura, local resident Sajal Roy questioned the lavish BJP office, saying, “Just look at the costly Italian marble flooring and five-star interiors. But nobody can enquire about the source of funds.”

Images of Murshidabad BJP MLA Gaurishankar Ghosh sitting in the officer-in-charge’s chair inside a police station also triggered widespread criticism. Opponents argued that the photograph symbolised a dangerous blurring of political power and police administration.

Barrackpore BJP MLA Kaustav Bagchi has repeatedly attracted controversy. A local promoter alleged that Bagchi demanded Rs 10 lakh to allow construction work to continue. Bagchi also faced criticism after suggesting unemployed young people should open (jhatka) chicken meat shops rather than pursue education, prompting many to question the message being sent to Bengal’s youth.

Several allegations concern financial extortion and job scams. In Cooch Behar, BJP leader Amitabh Barman has been accused of taking Rs 32 lakh from two men after allegedly promising them teaching jobs. One complainant said he trusted Barman because he had once been his private tutor. Barman dismissed the allegations as politically motivated.

In Durgapur, BJP leader Mousumi Dutta has been accused by party worker Om Prakash Prasad of taking Rs 50,000 after allegedly promising him employment at Durgapur Steel Plant. When no job materialised and he demanded his money back, Prasad alleged that he and his brother were assaulted. BJP spokesperson Sumanta Mondal responded by saying, “Genuine BJP workers could not be involved in such activities,” while calling for a police investigation.

In Bankura, BJP mandal vice-president Tapas Dangar faced allegations of demanding Rs 25,000 from a contractor in the name of a village club. Although he denied taking any money, local residents rejected his explanation. Even BJP district president Tapas Basu admitted that strict action would follow if the allegations proved true.

Several women have also levelled serious allegations against BJP leaders. In Chopra, BJP leader Shankar Adhikari has been accused of having a relationship with a woman for nearly ten years on the promise of marriage, coercing her into an abortion, later allegedly raping her in a hotel and threatening to kill her if she spoke out. Police are investigating, while Adhikari declined to comment.

In Barrackpore, elderly resident Sadhana Biswas accused BJP minority morcha mandal president Vidhan Nat, BJP mahila morcha vice-president Rupali Sarkar and others of demanding Rs 26 lakh and threatening her life. She said, “They are threatening to kill me if I do not pay. I am afraid to even leave my house.”

Another elderly woman also accused senior BJP minority morcha leader Bidhan Rong and Rupali Sarkar of demanding a large amount of money and threatening to kill her.

The handling of the Baruipur minor girl’s alleged rape and murder case has generated further controversy. BJP mandal secretary Shantanu Mondal was detained after allegations that he helped secure the release of two suspects from a police camp. Local residents demanded action, though Mondal denied the allegations.

In another alarming incident, a kidnapped father and son from Narendrapur were rescued from a BJP office in Kolkata earlier this week. The BJP claimed the office had merely been used as an election storage facility and denied any knowledge of how the victims came to be there. Though three people were arrested, no BJP leader has been charged.

Fresh allegations continue to emerge elsewhere. In Siliguri, residents accused BJP workers of assaulting toll plaza employees during a dispute over toll collection. In Panihati, explosive allegations surfaced against the husband of BJP MLA Ratna Debnath — mother of the R.G. Kar victim — over an alleged attempt to take control of a temple donation box.

Perhaps the most damaging aspect of these controversies is the growing public perception that there are different standards for different people. A resident from Baruipur summed up the frustration by saying, “Some people are writing now, ‘Criminals have no caste or religion.’ If it’s someone from their own side, suddenly they have no caste or religion.”

Whether each allegation is ultimately proved or not, the growing number of complaints, recurring accusations of delayed police action and the perception that influential BJP leaders are escaping accountability are steadily eroding public confidence.

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