BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya on Monday sought an immediate report on the recent appointment of independent councillor Sushanta Chatterjee as chairman of Kamarhati municipality in North 24-Parganas, amid internal reports that the change was made at the behest of the local BJP leadership.

“I have heard that there has supposedly been a change in the Kamarhati municipality, but I have received no official information. Apparently, someone has already become the chairman there,” Bhattacharya said while speaking on the occasion of the 125th birth anniversary of Syama Prasad Mookerjee at the BJP headquarters on 6, Murlidhar Sen Lane.

While Bhattacharya publicly disapproved of the Kamarhati development, BJP insiders said it showed that even though the party had come to power in the state, organisationally it had yet to establish a firm grip at the grassroots level.

Adopting a stern posture, Bhattacharya said: “Those who have come from Kamarhati and others from the district must submit a report to Amitava Chakraborty(general secretary, organisation) by 4pm. On what basis is it being propagated that the BJP has formed the board there?”

The BJP state president directed party workers not to follow any instructions from any leader, minister or MLA regarding that particular matter.

Sources said a section of BJP leaders expressed dissatisfaction after SushantaChatterjee, the elder brother of the party’s general secretary Locket Chatterjee, took charge as chairman on July 3 after his predecessor and Trinamool Congress leader, Gopal Saha, resigned following the change of regime in Bengal.

A source said 25 of the 35 councillors unanimously elected Sushanta as the chairman of the Kamarhati civic body.

“There was a buzz that although Sushanta Chatterjee, the new chairman, is an independent councillor, he took charge with the support of the local BJP leadership. A section of the party had already raised questions about whether the new chairman got the opportunity because he is the elder brother of a senior BJP leader,” said a BJP insider.

Locket, however, told reporters that although the new Kamarhati chairman was her elder brother, he was an Independent councillor and she had no knowledge of the development.

The apparent lack of knowledge on the part of both Bhattacharya and Locket about such a development on the outskirts of Calcutta has raised questions about whether the local BJP leadership has been taking important decisions without informing the top leadership.

It has also sparked speculation over whether there was any understanding between local BJP leaders and Trinamool Congress functionaries regarding the functioning of such local bodies.

President of the Kolkata north suburban organisational district of the BJP, Chandi Charan Roy, was not available for comment as he did not take calls.

Many BJP leaders cited another recent development at the Howrah zilla parishad, where rebel Trinamool functionaries took charge of the rural body’s functioning.

Bhattacharya sent a clear message that there would be no political interference in the functioning of any local body.

“No BJP leader or worker has any authority to run a defunct municipality, defunct zilla parishad, or defunct panchayat according to their own wishes. The government will appoint administrators; the party will not,” the BJP state president said.

“When a municipality or corporation becomes dysfunctional, it is the responsibility of the state government todeal with the situation, not the BJP. The government and the party are separate. This is not a BJP government; it is the Government of West Bengal. Therefore, any decision regarding those local bodies will be taken by the chief minister and the minister of the concerned department,” he added.

Bhattacharya also said the BJP would not become a charitable platform and would not tolerate anyone who believed that merely carrying theparty flag would allow them to establish themselves as councillors in their respective areas. He reminded party workers how Trinamool had won civic and rural polls in the past through alleged electoral malpractice.