A wage-related dispute between LPG transporters and their drivers at Indian Oil Corporation Ltd's bottling plant at Budge Budge in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district escalated into a protest.
The agitation, which occurred on Tuesday night, temporarily disrupted production and triggered sharp political reactions.
Senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari, who is also the leader of the opposition in the state assembly, in a post on X, alleged that the incident reflected the growing lawlessness and "syndicate culture" under the Trinamool Congress (TMC) regime.
He also shared two videos showing protesters releasing LPG from cylinders, triggering panic in the area.
PTI could not independently verify the authenticity of the videos.
"Yesterday's protest, where enraged workers released gas from cylinders onto the streets, could have turned catastrophic. A single spark could have ignited a massive fire, potentially engulfing the entire bottling plant, the nearby Budge Budge Institute of Technology (BBIT) College, Jagannath Gupta Institute of Medical Sciences and Hospital, and surrounding areas in a deadly inferno. Lives, property, and livelihoods were at stake due to TMC's unchecked syndicate raj," Adhikari said.
He claimed that rival TMC factions were vying for control over loading and unloading operations, pushing workers to the brink and endangering lives.
"This is not governance; it's a reckless power grab that endangers innocent lives," he added.
Reacting to Adhikari's allegations, TMC spokesperson Debangshu Bhattacharya said it was an "industrial protest" and police promptly took appropriate action.
"Suvendu Adhikari should look into his own past. He himself ran syndicates and continues to do so," he alleged.
An Indian Oil official, on condition of anonymity, clarified that the issue stemmed from wage disagreements between transporters and their drivers and had no direct connection with the company.
"Due to the unrest, dispatch and production were disrupted since Saturday. However, we sourced cylinders from alternative facilities to maintain the supply. Production at the Budge Budge plant has now resumed," the official said.
The Budge Budge facility typically fills between 45,000 and 50,000 cylinders daily, serving a significant portion of Kolkata's LPG demand.
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