A Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) drive to remove an allegedly illegal billboard outside Trinamool Congress (TMC) general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s Camac Street office turned into a dramatic political confrontation in Kolkata on Thursday, 27 August, with Banerjee questioning the legality of the operation, accusing authorities of selective enforcement and threatening legal action.
The KMC arrived with a large police contingent after a complaint from Kolkata Police, claiming the billboard carrying the TMC’s name had been installed illegally. Banerjee challenged the order produced by civic officials, pointing out that it referred to an attached photograph that was not actually attached. The officials initially left and later returned with a revised copy.
Banerjee then questioned why his office was being targeted when other billboards remained along Camac Street. “There are so many boards installed on the footpaths, yet no one touches them,” he said, alleging that people who had constructed illegal buildings were being allowed to get away with it because they were now aligned with the BJP.
He accused the authorities of using civic machinery to target the TMC. “There is a concerted effort to destroy Trinamool,” Banerjee alleged. “Why is the BJP so afraid?” He added, “They won’t grant permission for Trinamool to hold meetings or rallies; they attack leaders, vandalise party offices, and tear down billboards — is the fear that deep?”
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