BDF to field united opposition candidate against BJP in 42 wards in upcoming Silchar Municipal Corporation Elections

Silchar municipal corporation elections will be held early next year. Barak Democratic Front will try to form an opposition platform for active participation in it. BDF officials spoke in this regard at a press conference organised at Silchar Pensioner’s Bhavan today.

BDF Chief Convener Pradip Dutta Roy said that there are various controversies over the municipal corporation elections and there was no exchange of opinion from the ruling party with the citizens in this regard which was expected. The boundary of the proposed municipal corporation was supposed to be more than 100 square kilometres. This benchmark is important if Silchar is to be nominated as a smart city in the future. But still the size of the proposed Municipal Corporation has been kept less than that for the benefit of the present Municipal Commissioners of BJP. So it is a direct proof that BJP party leaders and workers are actually more concerned about securing their own vested interests rather than the development of Silchar.

The BDF Chief Convener also said that people of entire Silchar witnessed the ineffectiveness and supine role of the ruling party MLAs and MPs in the last floods and the Chief Minister himself had to come repeatedly to deal with the situation after anticipating the immense anger of the people. He said that even without any discussion with the people, the ruling party unilaterally planned to increase the municipal tax by 100 percent. And in this regard, the ruling party MLA threatened the people of Silchar that legal notices will be issued if the applications were not submitted within the stipulated time. Dutta Roy said that the self-respecting citizens of Silchar had stood up against this unjust action and the government and administration were forced to back down. He said that the people have not forgotten all this, and are waiting for such insolence to be answered. Speaking about the deprivation of Silchar and Barak Valley candidates in the recently conducted third and fourth grade jobs of Assam Government, he said that the people protested against it through spontaneous Bandh. But the local MLAs and MPs did not show any reaction in this important matter. Seeing the dire situation, the Chief Minister himself again came to Silchar and was forced to open his mouth in this matter. The CM said that only twenty percent of the total passed outs were selected from Barak Valley. But despite the repeated demands of the BDF to publish the list, the Assam government did not pay any attention to it, for which the BDF was forced to file an RTI application. Dutta Roy said that the people of Silchar are angry about this and they are getting proof of it in many ways. He said it is because of all these reasons they have decided to take an active role in the upcoming municipal elections. BJP wins elections by taking advantage of multi-party contest despite not getting the majority of the votes in terms of percentage. So this time the strategy has to be changed. Since the people are with us, therefore it is necessary to field a single opposition candidate against BJP in each ward and BDF has taken the initiative in this regard.

He said that the leaders of all the opposition parties already had initial talks with them. He once again on behalf of BDF called on all the opposition parties to unite in this matter through this press conference and told an all-party meeting will be organised immediately in this regard. He said they are hopeful that all will come together and participate in the joint struggle to free the people of Silchar from misrule and arrogance of BJP.

BDF Media Cell Chief Convenor Joydeep Bhattacharjee said that the citizens of Silchar have many issues. Despite promise, jobs of municipality workers are not being made permanent. Electricity bills have doubled in the past few months due to government intervention, but the leaders of the ruling party are completely silent on this. There is garbage problem, daily traffic problem. He said whoever forms the next Municipal Board, these problems must be given importance. He told that after discussions with Cachar ONGC Asset Manager recently, they have confirmed that there is no problem in connection of gas pipelines to homes in Silchar. The matter is not being implemented only because of government and administrative negligence. Joydeep also said that the Chief Minister told this time his party’s candidates in the Municipal elections will not use party symbol. He asked if BJP can contest in Delhi municipal elections with its own symbol, why is there an exception in the case of Assam? He believes this means BJP is not sure of their victory. That the people are not with them has been proved in the Delhi Municipal Elections. He remarked that this will again be proved in the Silchar Municipal Elections.

BDF Youth Front Chief Convener Kalparnab Gupta, Central Committee Convener Khaidem Kanta Singh, Media Cell Convener Hrishikesh Dey and others were present in the press conference.

Convener Hrishikesh Dey informed this news in a press release on behalf of BDF Media Cell.