A group of BJP leaders led by party’s state general secretary Jagannath Chattopadhyay on Wednesday celebrated the resumption of work of an under-construction railway overbridge, which was started in 2017, in Birbhum’s Suri town.

The BJP’s celebration invited a political war of words as the ruling Trinamul Congress accused the saffron camp of trying to gain political mileage from a railway
project for which the local MP Satabdi Roy had been fighting inside and outside Parliament.

“The work of this overbridge was halted and three contractors left the project midway because of torture by local Trinamul leaders. We were able to restart the work on this overbridge after resolving several issues related to the project. We want to thank Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union railway minister Ashwini Vaishnaw as they intervened to complete the project that is very important for the local people,” said Chattopadhyay, a BJP state general secretary.

Chattopadhyay and BJP leaders went to the construction site and participated in a puja organised by the new contractor, who assured finishing the overbridge within a span of six months.

“We expect the work will be completed within six months,” the contractor said.

The railway overbridge has been an important issue for the people of Suri as they get stuck for hours because of the level crossing on the Suri-Bolpur road. The road is an important link for those travelling to and Bolpur and Burdwan.

The work for the railway overbridge started in 2017 but was stopped after three years after three contractors left the project midway. The BJP started claiming that their leader Chattopadhyay, who unsuccessfully contested from Suri in the 2021 Assembly polls, took up the issue with the railway minister and ensured to resumption of work.

Trinamul leaders headed by party’s Birbhum MP Satabdi Roy organised a sit-in near the construction site last month demanding the resumption of work on the railway bridge.

After the celebration of the BJP on Wednesday, Trinamul leaders claimed that the effort of the saffron camp was nothing but to claim false credit for the overbridge.

“As an MP I wrote a dozen of letters to the Union railway minister and senior railway officials for the past three years. All those communications were official at a time when a BJP leader politically claimed the credit for the bridge. People of Suri know how our party fought for the overbridge and got its sanction in 2017,” said MP Satabdi Roy.

“We are not here to claim credit for the work but the Trinamul MP and MLAs should answer why work on the overbridge, which should have been finished three years ago, could not be completed even after seven years,” said BJP leader Chattopadhyay.