Even as the chairperson of the board of administrators, Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), and veteran CPI-M leader, Asok Bhattacharya, was busy in his outreach campaign visiting houses of residents of the Ward 20, the Trinamul Congress handed over the state government’s ‘report card’ that highlights its achievements to his family members in his house.
Interestingly, Mr Bhattacharya is also a resident of the same ward, while the coordinator of Ward 20 and Darjeeling district Trinamool Congress president Ranjan Sarkar visited his residence to hand over the ‘report card’ as part of the TMC’s ‘Bongodhwani Yatra.’
“Since 11 December, we are visiting people at their doors with the report card to make them aware of the various welfare schemes and development projects floated by the Mamata Banerjeeled state government in the past one decade. We are visiting all the houses in the town, and he (Asok Bhattacharya) is a resident of my ward,” Mr Sarkar said.
As Mr Bhattacharya was not home, Mr Sarkar, along with other Trinamul Congress activists, handed over the ‘report card’ to his wife Ratna Bhattacharya. On the other hand, the CPIM leader, who has launched an extensive campaign visiting wards under the SMC almost daily, sought to downplay the matter.
“There is no reason to raise a hue and cry over the matter. Being an elected representative, he can visit my house. It is the duty of all of us to know the problems of the people and stand by them. We always lay focus on relationship with the masses, and it is part of our routine work, unlike them (Trinamul Congress) who have taken those activities as ceremony in a decorated manner,” Mr Bhattacharya said.