TMC’s outgoing mayor of Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC) Jitendra Tiwari has written an astonishing letter to his Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) counterpart Firhad Hakim.

Directly hitting at Hakim, Tiwari has alleged that “due to political reasons”, Asansol did not get Rupees 2,000 crore under the Government of India’s Smart City Mission project despite being selected by the Ministry of Urban Development.

“Being born and brought up as a responsible citizen of Asansol and performing the responsibilities of the Urban Local Body of this city as a Chairman, Mayor & Administrator from past several years I am very grieved to state you that our city was chosen by the Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India under Smart City Mission Project which if would have been allowed by you our city could have received funds amounting 2000 Crores which would be very crucial for development of our city. Asansol was chosen under this project as a result of tremendous work effort of Councilors and entire team of AMC leading to being qualified as a city to be chosen under this but due to political reasons we were not allowed to get the benefits of this project by the State Government,” Tiwari wrote to Hakim.

“It was instead promised that funds will be made available by the State Government for overall development of this city but it was not done. Similarly under Solid Waste Management project Asansol City could have received another 1500 Crores Fund by the Central Government like several other cities in our country but you and your department have not allowed us to get the benefits of these Central Government Funds due to which I feel that injustice has been made to the City of Asansol,” he added.

Tiwari, the Pandeshwar legislator, has also vented his disappointment at the state government for not providing the promised funds to AMC.

He has purported that Hakim, Minister of Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Government of West Bengal, did not sanction funds for development of Asansol, even after sending “several project reports for approval to the State Government”.

“Also it is to be mentioned that Asansol Municipal Corporation has sent several Project reports for approval to the State Government like Building of Prince Dwaraknath Thakur Town Hall in Raniganj Renovation of Existing Town Hall in Jamuria, Several Roads of Asansol, Burnpur, Kulti, Jamuria & Raniganj but none of the same has been approved by your department.

“Therefore with lot of pain I am writing you this letter requesting you to kindly allow Asansol Municipal Corporation to get benefits being provided by Central Government or State Government provide equivalent funds for development of our beloved city Asansol as a rectification of ill deeds on your part towards Asansol,” Tiwari, 41, concluded.

For TMC, looking to hold on to power in the 2021 Assembly Elections, the power tussle and internal conflict among its leaders and workers have been the biggest concerns for some time now.

From its rebel leader Suvendu Adhikari to MLAs like Shilbhadra Dutta, Jotu Lahiri, Rajiv Banerjee, West Bengal’s governning party seems to be a divided political entity like none other at the moment.