Suvendu Adhikari, the leader of the Opposition in the Bengal Assembly, on Wednesday warned that BJP workers would lock up the offices of gram panchayats and block development officers if anomalies in the state government's rural housing scheme weren't rectified.
The BJP leader alleged that political bias had led to the exclusion of legitimate applicants' names from the list of beneficiaries.
"Trinamool Congress leaders have exploited the housing scheme. We want rightful beneficiaries to receive the support they deserve. Else, we will lock BDO and gram panchayat offices and take the matter to court," Adhikari said.
Allegations of large-scale corruption surfaced last week when a fresh survey of the beneficiaries' eligibility was launched ahead of the government's release of funds in December to build dwelling units.
Voices of dissent within the ruling Trinamool have added to the controversy, prompting chief minister Mamata Banerjee to reassure the public that eligible beneficiaries would not be overlooked. She directed local authorities to meticulously verify all applications before rejecting any of them.
Tensions have run high, with instances of infighting in the TMC and protests taking place in many districts. In Gosaba, two Trinamool factions clashed on Monday over the allotment of houses.
On Tuesday, surveyors in Deganga, North 24-Parganas, faced protests, when residents of Paschim Jadabpur alleged that local Trinamool leaders had interfered, prioritising ineligible applicants with multi-storied homes over those in genuine need. Villagers from Purulia’s Manbazar 1 block to Ilambazar in Birbhum, Jalpaiguri and other areas have voiced similar grievances.
Accusing Trinamool of "unimaginable" levels of graft, Adhikari said on Wednesday: "Around one lakh eligible beneficiaries' names were omitted from the list, while those of people with political ties to Trinamool — who already have pucca houses — were added."
On Wednesday, chief secretary Manoj Pant instructed district magistrates to ensure that the list did not include ineligible beneficiaries.
CPM leader and MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya said: "Since coming to power, Trinamool's agenda has been to loot. With voices from within their ranks protesting this corruption, the party is now struggling to manage the fallout."
"In Gosaba, Trinamool workers attacked each other simply because some protested this exploitation of the housing scheme," Bhattacharya added.
Congress spokesperson Soumya Aich Roy similarly condemned the government for “systematic corruption”. "Now that this ghost is out of the bottle, even the chief minister can’t contain it," said Roy.
"Trinamool has fostered a climate in which only ruling party supporters receive benefits, and those outside it are ignored."
Responding to the allegations, a Trinamool Congress leader, who did not want to be named, said there had been irregularities but the three-step survey showed the intention of the government to come up with a fair list before funds were released.
"The Opposition is trying to politicise the issue instead of cooperating to prepare a fair list," the leader added.
