TMC leader accused of smuggling relief material, protests erupt outside his home
In yet another incident of public anger against Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, former Minister Ujjwal Biswas has been accused of misappropriating and attempting to
In yet another incident of public anger against Trinamool Congress in West Bengal, former Minister Ujjwal Biswas has been accused of misappropriating and attempting to transport government relief materials allegedly stored at his residence. He faced protests and angry protesters, prompting police intervention. The incident took place in Nadia on Tuesday as residents allegedly caught him in the act and confronted him, triggering a massive protest outside his residence. Read Full Story As news of the incident spread, BJP leaders and workers rushed to the spot and joined the protests, accusing the former Krishnanagar South MLA of trying to smuggle government relief material. Demonstrators surrounded the area and raised slogans against the Trinamool leader, while some protesters threw eggs at him amid the commotion.
With the crowd turning increasingly hostile, police intervened and escorted Biswas away from the scene. To prevent further violence, officers detained several people, including the former minister, and took them to the police station. Responding to the allegations, Biswas denied any wrongdoing and termed the BJP's charges politically motivated. "We receive these government relief materials twice a year—during Durga Puja and Eid. But we had distributed the Durga Puja relief materials among the public. Since Eid fell during the elections, it wasn't possible to distribute the relief materials. After this, I spoke to the District Magistrate and tried to send the relief materials to the administration office," Biswas said.
Rejecting the allegations of misappropriation or smuggling, the Trinamool leader maintained that he was merely attempting to hand over the remaining relief material to the administration and that the BJP's accusations were "completely baseless." After the BJP unseated the Trinamool Congress in the area during the Assembly elections, West Bengal witnessed multiple instances of TMC leaders and people associated with the party facing public backlash. In a similar incident on June 5, a row erupted in Asansol after a large quantity of relief materials and ration supplies were allegedly recovered from an Eastern Coalfields Limited (ECL) quarter reportedly occupied by TMC leader Udeep Singh. BJP leaders alleged that blankets, tarpaulins, clothes, rice and wheat meant for distribution among the poor and needy had been stored inside the locked quarter.
On May 31, local residents allegedly recovered a large quantity of flood-relief materials from the office of TMC MP Bapi Haldar in South 24 Parganas. Residents and BJP workers claimed that hundreds of cartons and boxes containing supplies meant for flood-affected and economically weaker families had been stored inside the MP's office instead of being distributed among beneficiaries. The discovery triggered protests and vandalism. Ends (Inputs by Surojit)
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