Trinamul Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee today came down heavily on the Election Commission of India for not giving permission to the state government to reconstruct the houses that got razed to the ground in Jalpaiguri due to a recent nor’wester.
Mr Banerjee was speaking to reporters after a Trinamul Congress delegation met the state Governor, C V Ananda Bose, to raise concerns over the BJP’s misuse of Central agencies. Mr Banerjee said: “In the afternoon the ECI informed the state government that it would not allow construction of new houses but the state government could spent Rs 5,000 and Rs 20,000 to repair the damaged portions of houses.
As many as 1600 houses have been razed to the ground. The state government would spend the money, but here also the ECI comes in the way following instruction from the BJP,” he said. “The same ECI has given permission to the Assam government to give Rs 1.50 lakh to different organisations to celebrate Bihu.
We are not against celebrating Bihu, but what happens to the poor people who lost their houses,” he asked. Mr Banerjee said he would go to Jalpaiguri on 12 April and hold a meeting in Dhupguri. He would meet the members of 1,600 families.
Ten Trinamul leaders who had been arrested in Delhi after they wanted to meet the ECI with the same demand of allowing the state government to set up houses of the hapless people would be there in north Bengal with Mr Banerjee. “ If needed we will meet the President with the same demand,” he said, adding: “If BJP thinks that they can score goals without players, rest assured they will not be able to score goals.”