Kolkata: “Show restraint. Be humble. Do not frequent police stations, go to people instead,” Bengal BJP president Samik Bhattacharya told party workers on Sunday, a day after state finance minister Swapan Dasgupta admitted that extortion had become “a new normal” in Bengal. Panchayat minister Dilip Ghosh also reiterated the party’s zero-tolerance policy towards corruption.Dasgupta said extortion continued despite the change of govt and public confidence could not be fully restored until the practice ended.“Extortion is happening here. That is the truth. As long as it is not stopped, people’s trust cannot be fully restored,” Dasgupta said on Saturday.Admitting that he had failed to eliminate extortion even in his Rashbehari constituency, Dasgupta said, “Personally, I have done whatever I could to stop it in my constituency. But I cannot claim to have achieved it 100 per cent. It has become a habit among people. When nothing else works, this seems to have become the new normal.” Let us give it a year to stop it.”Bhattacharya had on Friday warned party workers against misconduct. “Lawlessness cannot be allowed. Identify those who are trying to tarnish the party’s name and flag, and file FIRs against them. Police minister Suvendu Adhikari is there. Give me the documents, and I will ensure action,” he said at Dum Dum. At a Bijoya Sammilani organised by the BJP Mahila Morcha’s Kolkata North Suburban unit, Bhattacharya criticised police officers and party functionaries for overstepping their roles. “In some places, the police think that they are the mandal presidents (of the BJP), while in some other places, the mandal presidents think the police will act only on their word, as they consider themselves to be Suvendu Adhikari, the police minister,” he said.Ghosh urged people to report extortion demands to police. “First, a complaint has to be lodged with the police in case of extortion demands,” he said. “If someone in the party is involved in it, the complaint should be lodged in the party,” Ghosh added, promising action.At Balagarh, minister of state for health Sumana Sarkar said even her relatives would not be spared if found involved in extortion.“However big a leader may be, I will not allow any corruption or extortion. I will go to any extent to stop that,” she said, urging people not to pay extortion money for Annapurna Bhandar benefits or house construction.BJP district secretary Sandip Sadhukhan had earlier accused Sarkar’s brother of involvement in extortion. BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar acknowledged “aberrations” but said the party had acted against accused members. “BJP will never endorse extortion. We are on the same page with the minister (Sarkar) on this,” he said.(Inputs from Falguni Banerjee in Balagarh)
