The BJP and Trinamul leaders in Malda got in a war of words on Sunday over various issues related to the district.

The BJP on Sunday organised a public meeting at Baishnabnagar — where the party won in the 2016 Assembly elections — and fumed against the Mamata Banerjee government by referring to smuggling of cattle, fake Indian currency notes and narcotics.

Trinamul on the other hand, accused BJP and the Centre for their nonchalant attitude towards a major issue of Baishnabnagar — the erosion caused by Ganga that has gobbled acres of land and have left hundreds homeless.

A number of MLAs and MPs of the BJP, including local MLA Swadhin Sarkar, along with state and district leaders, congregated at Baishnabnagar and held a rally and a public meeting, accusing the state government of failure to end a slew of illegal activities in Malda.

“Malda has become a den of smugglers, and makers of illegal arms and bombs, and the state has done nothing to stop these activities. We have information as to who all get the benefits from such practices. Central agencies have been conducting probes and soon the cat will be out of the bag,” said BJP’s state general secretary Sayantan Basu.

The BJP also referred to the recent blast at a plastic crushing unit at Sujapur that claimed six lives and iterated that only a probe by a central agency could reveal the truth.

After the blast, the state police and the government said that the explosion occurred because of a mechanical fault. The BJP alleged that some explosive led to the incident.

“Why is the state (government) scared to invite the NIA for probing into an incident that claimed six lives? You are blaming a machine for such an explosion. We would not deviate an inch from our demand unless the NIA is allowed to investigate the case,” said Sreerupa Mitra Choudhury, a state vice-president of BJP’s farmers’ front.

Trinamul supporters demonstrate against BJP Soumya De Sarkar

The district Trinamul leadership was quick to react, saying that the BJP was trying to divert peoples’ attention by hurling baseless charges at the state government.

The key issue in Baishnabnagar is steady erosion, Trinamul leaders said, and so far, the central government and its agencies have stayed indifferent to it. Trinamul leaders pointed that many houses have been engulfed by the Ganga and people have been rendered homeless. Even BJP MLA Sarkar had lost his house, they said.

“However, they never flagged this issue before the Farakka Barrage Authority, a central agency, or officials and ministers in Delhi so that anti-erosion work can start in Baishnabnagar. The central government has always stayed indifferent to this issue. As elections are drawing near, the BJP leaders are trying to divert people to reap political dividends,” Moazzem Hossain, chairman of Malda district Trinamul, said.

He claimed that the state provided alternative land to the affected people and would help them rebuild their homes. “This is the difference between the BJP and Trinamul,” said Hossain.

Such war of words, observers said, indicates both the parties are desperate to secure most of the 12 Assembly seats in Malda. In the 2016 polls, the BJP could win one seat and Trinamul failed to secure even one. “Since 2016, Trinamul managed to get a number of MLAs and leaders from other parties, particularly the Congress, on board. Also, in 2019, BJP managed to secure the Malda North parliamentary seat. These factors seem to have bolstered the confidence of both sides.”