Siliguri (Bengal): Jalpaiguri Trinamul MP Bijoy Chandra Burman called on Asian Games winner Swapna Burman's parents on Sunday and announced a house for the family as the ruling party and the BJP continued to seek to capitalise on her victory to their advantage.

Burman reached Swapna's home at Ghoshpara, along with Trinamul MLA Khageshwar Roy, and felicitated the athlete's parents.

In his capacity as the chairman of the Rajbanshi Bhasa Academy, the MP announced that the body would provide a house for the athlete's family. Swapna Burman has succeeded in the heptathlon competition at the Asian Games in Jakarta but her win seems to have initiated a fresh competition among Trinamul and BJP. Leaders of these parties and even central and state ministers are on the run, and have been playing the card of dole politics to outwit the other side and claim the credit of standing by the financially-challenged family of the athlete, while eyeing on the Rajbanshi vote bank of north Bengal.

After Swapna had won gold medal in the women's heptathlon event at the 18th Asian Games in Jakarta on Wednesday, chief minister Mamata Banerjee announced a cash reward of Rs 10 lakh and a job for her. S.S. Ahluwalia, the BJP MP of Darjeeling and a Union minister of state, scurried to her home near here on Saturday. He made Swapna's mother Basana speak to Union sports minister who promised an assistance of Rs 30 lakh from the Centre and a job for her daughter.

"Leaders of different parties, mostly from Trinamul and the BJP, are visiting the athlete's house every day. The block administration has started laying concrete mix to improve the road that leads to her house. The road has been muddy till date. We are hopeful that Swapna's achievement would help improve the infrastructure of our village," said Dipak Sarkar, a resident of Ghoshpara.

The Jalpaiguri district administration has also taken up the task of handing over Scheduled Caste certificates to the Burman family. "Earlier, they had been running from pillar to post to get the SC certificates. Now, they are sitting at home and the administration is doing the necessary work. Swapna's success has changed it all," said Krishna Burman, another resident.

A section of the villagers, however, believes as Swapna is from the Rajbanshi community, the BJP and Trinamul are trying to galvanise the support of the community by announcing doles for her family.

"It seems that leaders of both the parties are considering it as an opportunity to consolidate support of the Rajbanshi population. The parties want to drive home the point that they are doing their best to recognise her achievement," a resident said.

Additional reporting by Our Jalpaiguri Correspondent