Argument between two BJP MLAs in a meeting at Dum Dum Park
He also questioned the awarding of a lighting contract covering 18 wards of South Dum Dum municipality to a single person and sought to know under whose influence it was given. He said around 90% of the letters received by him over the last several weeks did not carry the names of the complainants.
The state BJP has asked both senior functionaries to avoid such public confrontation, sources said. “Every resident and promoter in Dum Dum Park knows that in my life, I have never let anyone run a syndicate,” Kanoria said while claiming he came to the meeting as a local resident and not in the capacity of an MLA. Kanoria later told reporters that Dum Dum Park is his ancestral home and he had always opposed any atmosphere of terror in the area. If anyone tries to undermine this, I will not remain silent,” he said. Mukhopadhyay, meanwhile, said he had come to the meeting to listen to complaints and admitted that the situation was not perfect. “It indicated that still now we haven’t managed to drive fear out and instill trust among people,” he said. He also said there had been numerous complaints of extortion, syndicate operations and money being demanded from promoters.
The confrontation, which played out in front of party workers and locals, centred on allegations of extortion, syndicate activities and the alleged return of several people whom Kanoria claimed had been kept away from the area for years. “I have always tried to ensure that genuine public work gets done and people get justice. Kolkata: A workers’ meeting held by state health minister and Bidhannagar BJP MLA Saradwat Mukhopadhyay at Dum Dum Park on Tuesday was disrupted after Rajarhat-New Town MLA Piyush Kanoria arrived and questioned the presence of several people at the venue, leading to a heated exchange between the two BJP functionaries.