Behrampore, Dec. 29 :
Behrampore, Dec. 29:
The controversy over the bridge linking Jangipur with Raghunathganj in Murshidabad, which chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee will inaugurate tomorrow morning, is threatening to tear apart Left Front unity in the district.
RSP leader and state PWD minister Amalendralal Roy decided to name the 1,160-meter-long bridge built at an estimated cost of Rs 25 crore, after his relative Raj Ballab Roy, a freedom fighter and the first chairman of Jangipur municipality.
Roy's proposal was, however, vehemently opposed by district CPM leaders. The party wanted to name the bridge Kabiyal Gumani Dewan Setu, after the famous folk singer of undivided Bengal. The party's stand on naming the bridge, whose foundation stone was laid in 1996 by then chief minister Jyoti Basu, to commemorate birth centenary of the folk singer received unflinching support from the Forward Bloc, the CPI and state Socialist Party.
Apprehending political isolation, local RSP leaders then suggested that the bridge be named after former party MP Tridib Chowdhury, who had single-handedly built the RSP stronghold in Murshidabad after Partition. Roy had even threatened to resign if the CPM ignored his party's suggestion.
The issue was referred to the Left Front's state committee, which also failed to resolve the dispute. Finally, Front partners decided to leave the bridge unnamed and open it to traffic despite the controversy.





