The white Ambassador that came to pick up Biswas (standing) from the convention venue. But the sabhadhipati sent the car back. Picture by Main Uddin Chisti

Cooch Behar, March 16: The sabhadhipati of the Cooch Behar zilla parishad, Dilip Biswas of the CPM, today arrived at a convention of the state employees’ organisation in his official car in violation of the Election Commission’s model code of conduct.

Biswas initially denied that he had violated the code but later understood the mistake and took a ride on a motorcycle to leave the venue.

The CPM leader had arrived at the Atithi Niwas hall to inaugurate the Pashchim Banga Pranibandhu Samannay Samiti’s second district conference. On hearing that he had used his red beacon-fitted official car, the Trinamul Congress took up the matter with the district administration.

After inaugurating the event organised by the employees of the state animal resource development department, journalists asked Biswas about his using the official car. He said: “I have done nothing wrong as I have come from my office to attend the programme. Should I have come on foot?”

After sometime, when another car with a board “on government duty” plastered on it came to pick up Biswas, the members of the organisation, dominated by the CPM-run coordination committee of state government employees, also pointed out that the sabhadhipati was not doing the right thing. Biswas then started leaving the place on foot after dismissing the driver of the white Ambassador. Someone from the organisation, however, came to his rescue and gave the leader a ride out of the area on his motorcycle.

The officer-in-charge of the district election cell, Chiranjib Ghosh, said the sabhadhipati was in the wrong. “You cannot use a government vehicle to attend a programme held by an employees’ organisation once the elections are announced,” he added.

Trinamul district secretary Tarun Roy has accused Biswas of violating the model code of conduct. “We have complained to the district administration about his using government vehicle to attend political rallies,” Roy said.