Two BJP lawmakers — an MP and an MLA — faced protests from residents in Durganagar, Siliguri, within the past 24 hours as they reached the locality to check out the damage caused by a fire.

Jayanta Roy, the BJP MP of Jalpaiguri, faced angry residents on Sunday when he went to meet victims. Sikha Chatterjee, the BJP MLA of Dabgram-Fulbari, had a similar experience on Monday.

On Saturday evening, a fire broke out in Durganagar and gutted four hutments in ward 40 of Siliguri Municipal Corporation. The place, however, falls in the Jalpaiguri district area.

On Sunday, when Jalpaiguri MP Roy went to the area, around a dozen persons asked him where he was all these five years since his victory in 2019

On Monday, as Sikha Chatterjee, the local BJP MLA reached the area, a crowd of affected families and local residents again resorted to protests.

“She has not done anything this area and has hardly visited the place,” said a protester. “Now, as the Lok Sabha elections are drawing near, these people are coming,” he added, referring to Roy and Chatterjee.

Chatterjee, who left the spot after some time, alleged the protest was pre-planned
by Trinamul to foment tension.

“I went to the affected area to speak to the victims who lost their homes in the
blaze. Although the model code of conduct is in force, I wanted to explore if they
can get any assistance from the government. But the moment I reached there,
some Trinamul supporters resorted to protests in a planned manner,” the BJP MLA claimed.

She questioned what the Trinamul-led civic body had done for the area.

“I have spoken with the BDO of Rajganj so that the fire-hit families get
necessary assistance. Our MP had made a similar request to the Jalpaiguri district magistrate. Trinamul, on the other hand, played politics instead of standing by the affected people,” Chatterjee added.

Rajesh Prasad, the local Trinamul councillor, alleged that the MLA “lost her cool” when people asked her about her absence and non-performance over the past three years. “That’s why she faced protests,” he said. “She had not visited the area for three years.”

He added that after the fire, Trinamul local leaders helped the victims.