Snubbed in ward, Bidhannagar mayor launches outreach

KOLKATA: Left out from

Lok Sabha

poll activities in his own Salt Lake ward 31 by his party Trinamool,

Bidhannagar

mayor

Sabyasachi

Dutta is instead eyeing the Rajasthani community across the city, from Baguiati to Ballygunge.


He was away at a post-Holi ‘sammelan’ at Baguiati on Sunday when Bidhannagar MLA Sujit Bose was marking post-Holi celebrations at BF Block ground in Salt Lake that comes under Dutta’s ward. All top Trinamool functionaries of North 24 Parganas — MP and party’s Barasat candidate Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and minister Bratya Basu — attended the BF Block event. Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim’s presence was the icing on the cake.

Even Trinamool’s North 24 Parganas president Jyotipriya Mullick, the food minister, came all the way from Bongaon to throw his weight behind Bose. “We are all members of the Trinamool family. Sabyasachi Dutta should have come to this programme,” Mullick said when convenor Bose didn’t mention Dutta in the invitation card.

The Kolkata mayor, however, tried to make light of Dutta’s absence. “Sabyasachi Dutta is the MLA of Rajarhat New Town. He has been asked to look after his assembly constituency. Bidhannagar MLA and minister Sujit Bose will also look after this constituency,” Hakim said.

Dutta, however, has started meeting members of the Rajasthani community spread across the city. He will attend a post-Holi event in Ballygunge on Monday. His outreach has raised eyebrows within Trinamool circles.

Speculation is rife that Dutta, known for his rapport with the Rajasthani community, may use it to tell the community that he is with them and won’t hesitate to forego his posts for their sake. Such a gesture may go against the Trinamool’s efforts to build bridges with the community ahead of Lok Sabha polls.

Trinamool’s North 24 Parganas leaders started distancing themselves from Dutta ever since he had a “luchi-aloor dum” dinner with BJP leader Mukul Roy at his Salt Lake home.