Allegations of extortion and irregularities in municipal contracting triggered a public clash between West Bengal health minister and Bidhannagar MLA Sharadwat Mukherjee and Rajarhat-New Town MLA Piyush Kanodia at a BJP meeting in Dum Dum Park on Tuesday, exposing tensions over how complaints from residents are handled at the local level.
Mukherjee was conducting an MLA’s Darbar for workers and residents of his constituency at Ward 28 of the South Dum Dum Municipality when Kanodia, who lives in the area, arrived and initially sat among the audience, according to a report by The Telegraph. A BJP leader quoted in the report said the meeting was intended for people from Mukherjee’s constituency and described Kanodia’s presence as unusual.
A video clip circulating online shows Mukherjee addressing Kanodia as the MLA of “another constituency” and asking him to join him on the dais. The Telegraph said it had not independently checked the authenticity of the video. Kanodia initially declined but later went to the stage.
The meeting then moved from a procedural disagreement to allegations concerning the municipality and the local business environment. Mukherjee read out several letters, most of them anonymous, that raised allegations of extortion and syndicate-related activity in the area. He said he would examine the complaints and would not permit corrupt practices to continue.
“The government has changed in Bengal. We have pledged to root out fear and build trust. We will neither take anything from anyone nor allow anyone else to take anything,” Mukherjee told the gathering, according to The Telegraph. He also said residents should not be afraid of anyone and linked such practices to the previous Trinamool Congress regime.
Kanodia subsequently took the microphone and said he had never permitted anyone to operate a syndicate in the area. He described Dum Dum Park as peaceful and urged the minister to ensure that it remained so. He also alleged that one person was receiving all the contracts in the South Dum Dum Municipality area and asked the officials concerned to explain the situation.
Kanodia later told reporters that he had attended the meeting because he was a resident of the area and wanted to inform the minister about complaints. “I will also inform the party about people’s grievances. I have nothing against the minister,” he said. He separately stated that his ancestral home was in Dum Dum Park and that he had never allowed anyone to run a syndicate in the South Dum Dum area.
The episode places municipal contracting and allegations of coercive collection at the centre of an internal BJP dispute. The claims concern local civic administration, but the available account does not establish whether any complaint has been formally registered, whether an inquiry has begun, or whether officials have verified the allegations.
Bengal BJP chief spokesperson Debjit Sarkar said the matter could be personal between the two leaders and that the party had not yet intervened. He added that the party would examine the issue if Kanodia submitted a formal complaint. BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya has previously said that anyone involved in corruption would not be spared, including MLAs and MPs.
The Telegraph said Mukherjee was contacted by phone and text message for his response but had not replied when the report was filed. The next formal step will depend on whether Kanodia or any affected resident submits a complaint to the BJP or the relevant municipal and administrative authorities.
