This story is from June 6, 2018

Suvendu eyes Murshidabad panchayat ‘model’ for Malda

Suvendu eyes Murshidabad panchayat ‘model’ for Malda
Malda: Trinamool heavyweight and state transport minister Suvendu Adhikari unfolded the second part of his “opposition-free” panchayat model in Ghani Khan’s Malda on Tuesday, after executing the first in Adhir Chowdhury’s Murshidabad.
Addressing a huge TMC gathering at Malda College auditorium, Adhikari said: “A number of front-ranking Congress leaders of the district are in touch with us.
They will soon join Trinamool. Even a few from BJP and CPM are ready to join Mamata Banerjee’s fold sensing the inevitable. We will wrest both the Lok Sabha seats in Malda in the coming Lok Sabha polls. We will get more than 55% votes.”
As many as 30 Congress gram panchayat members and Independents joined Trinamool before the minister made the claim.
Taking the cue, Adhikari took a step forward and announced that his party will also “capture” those gram panchayats and panchayat samitis where Trinamool and others are equally poised. “We have won most of the gram panchayats and panchayat samitis. Those which did not give a clear majority will be captured by us. Our local leaders should take the initiative,” the minister said.
The statement triggered a controversy in political circles, days after Adhikari announced cash rewards for those Trinamool leaders in Murshidabad who could get the highest number of uncontested seats.
Unlike in Murshidabad, the opposition — BJP, Congress and CPM — taken together has won 1048 of the total 2,286 gram panchayat seats in Malda (nearly 50%) and 129 out of a total 416 panchayat samiti seats (above 25%). Figures show that TMC doesn’t have a clear majority in many panchayats that the minister wants to “capture” in the days to come. “Like in Murshidabad, many front-ranking Congressmen will join us,” the minister said, urging Congressmen in Malda to jump out of the sinking ship.

Malda Congress president Mousam Noor reacted strongly to Adhikari’s comments. “Adhikari knows how his party has won the rural polls. The minister is thus making a desperate bid to boost the morale of Trinamool workers. Some of our GP members have been forced to join Trinamool due to continuing threats and police atrocities. We are having meetin-gs with our block leaders and MLAs. They are in no mood to join TMC,” the Malda district Congress president said.
BJP leader Manabendra Chakraborty held that Adhikari’s offensive remarks have only validated the party’s allegations. “Adhikari has conceded to our complaint. We have been crying hoarse over the threat and intimidation from the ruling party, right from the beginning of the panchayat poll process. Many of our gram panchayat members have fled homes out of fear. We had to give them shelter in other states. But this won’t happen during the Lok Sabha polls to be held under central forces,” he said.
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