Trinamul Congress leader and Tourism Minister Gautam Deb may once again raise the issue of alleged tacit relations between the CPIM and the BJP if Siliguri MLA and veteran Left leader Asok Bhattacharya highlights a letter he has received from BJP leader and union minister of state Babul Supriyo.
Showcasing the results of the last Lok Sabha elections in the booth level in the Siliguri Assembly constituency, Mr Deb had claimed that even CPI-M agents in the booth level had cast their votes in favour of a BJP candidate.
Replying to a letter written by Mr Bhattacharya, Mr Supriyo, who is the Union Minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, has talked about how the Siliguri Municipal Corporation was deprived of central funds.
Mr Bhattacharya, who is also the chairperson of the Board of Administrators at the SMC, had written to Mr Supriyo on 6 November 2020 on the state government’s alleged neglect and central government fund allocation to check air pollution in Siliguri.
In a letter to Mr Bhattacharya, Mr Supriyo has said that Rs 419 crore was sanctioned by the Centre for West Bengal, as per recommendations of the 15th Finance Commission. Apart from that, Rs 13 crore was sanctioned under the National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), Mr Supriyo has said.
“Unfortunately, Siliguri was not considered for any aid under the 15th Finance Commission recommendation or under the NCAP, because it is neither a million plus city nor was it identified as a non-attainment city by the CPCB (Central Pollution Control Bureau), which I acknowledge is an achievement of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation under your leadership,” Mr Supriyo said in the letter.