Babul refuses Bengal govt facilities after spat with Purulia DM

KOLKATA/PURULIA: Union minister and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo on Friday said he will not use any facility provided by the West Bengal government to protest against the “atrocities” on him.
Supriyo, through a series of tweets, claimed he had instructed his office not to send details of his tour programmes to the Bengal government — a normal practice followed by ministers.
Supriyo, who had entered into an altercation with Purulia district magistrate Alokesh Prasad Roy on Thursday, tweeted, “They shall remain a TMC government & me a BJP member, fighting their atrocities.”
The Asansol MP made it clear that he would not avail “state vehicles, all state guest houses and pilot cars” from Friday.He remained unavailable for comment.
A disgruntled Supriyo wrote on Twitter on Friday that he had not been using cars sent by the Bengal government as they do not have necessary safety features. Instead, he had been using private cars for travelling in Bengal, he said. He complained that the state government has been sending him vehicles which do not have airbags, while the 240 km drive from Kolkata airport to Durgapur through Durgapur Expressway was quite risky. While a car sent by the state government has so far been following his vehicle as a backup option, Supriyo said he will stop availing that.
The miffed MP added: “I do not use or need the hooters of police pilot cars either. I can and will work my way through without any help from them.”
BJP state president Dilip Ghosh felt that Supriyo had enough grounds to be discontented with the state government. “He had to face non-cooperation from the district magistrate in Purulia on Thursday. But this wasn’t the first time it happened. Whether it is working for the people in Asansol or for security issues, he has been facing this for years,” he said.
On Thursday, Supriyo got into a heated exchange with the Purulia DM when he asked him to help remove the traffic jam on the road leading to the rally ground of Amit Shah’s meeting. “Are you aware that there is a rally in town?” Supriyo asked Roy. At this, Roy replied that he will not take orders from Supriyo and claimed that he has asked the Purulia SP to control traffic in the town.