The leader of the Opposition, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday slammed the Trinamool Congress for alleged irregularities in the employment of land losers at Deocha-Pachami for the proposed coal mining project.

Adhikari announced a movement against the alleged corruption and legal support for local tribal people who wished to move the court for a proper investigation intothe matter.

This shows that the BJP has decided to create fresh embarrassment for Mamata Banerjee, who has promoted the proposed coal mine project in Birbhum district as one of her industrial successes ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.

“TMC Rajya Sabha MP Samirul Islam, assigned by Mamata Banerjee in Deocha, helped 26 people secure jobs although they had not parted with their land for the project. Many of those 26 people are relatives of Samirul,” Adhikari told a media conference at the BJP office in Suri, Birbhum, where he presented a set of documents to justify the alleged recruitment scam.

He compared the alleged irregularities in Deocha-Pachami with the “unlawful” recruitment of teachers to schools and employees to municipalities. The CBI and the Enforcement Directorate are probing the school and the municipal recruitment “scams”.

Adhikari also claimed that although land transactions had been stopped in Deocha-Pachami in December 2021 by Birbhum district magistrate Bidhan Ray, 53 per cent of those who purchased plots illegally during the ban period were allotted government jobs after being tagged as landlosers.

“How was such a transfer of land possible despite the DM’s order to halt any land transactions?” asked Adhikari before announcing that the BJP would soon organise a “mega” rally to protest the alleged corruption.

The BJP leader alleged that many people who were not residents of Deocha-Pachami were illegally givenpattas (land deeds).

“Besides staging the protest, we will support a group of tribal people from the area who will move to the court seeking a proper investigation into the scam involving the coal mine project,” said the Nandigram MLA.

A source said after a long silence on the Deocha-Pachami coal mine project, the BJP decided to intensify political activities in the area, which witnessed discontent among a section of tribalpeople recently.

“Whatever the TMC and Mamata Banerjee have been claiming about Deocha-Pachami is completely false. The party will not allow Mamata Banerjee to use it as a means to showcase industrial success for the next Assembly elections,” said a BJP source.

Adhikari claimed that the state government’s primary motive was to extract basalt and sell the same toincrease revenue.

“In all tenders, there is no mention of coal excavation. The government plans to excavate basalt and sell it to generate funds before the Assembly elections,” said the Nandigram MLA.

Samirul Islam, who has been playing a key role in advancing the Deocha-Pachami coal mine project for the TMC, denied the charges and claimed that Adhikari had been making false allegations after becomingpolitically bankrupt.

“I challenge him (Adhikari) to prove that a single job was given to either my relative or anyone known to me among the 1,600 people who were employed for parting with their land for the project,”said Samirul.

“If he has such documents, he should move to court to prove it. Frustrated with Mamata Banerjee’s development efforts, he is now trying to malign us,” he added.

A senior official said all the 26 individuals whom Adhikari claimed were illegally recruited had been provided with temporary jobs for involvement in surveying the area. The official said jobs of junior constables and home guards had been given exclusively to the land losers.

A political observer said the TMC might face difficulties continuing the basalt mining work if the tribal population moved to court, as announced by the leader ofthe Opposition.

Soon after Adhikari’s move, a group of tribal people from Deocha-Pachami conducted a media conference, claiming that whatever the leader of the Opposition had said was a complete lie.