Kolkata: Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday released the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s 35-page ‘white paper’ on 15 years of Trinamool Congress rule in West Bengal, highlighting five major issues — “infiltration”, “systemic corruption and institutional collapse”, “economic and industrial decline”, “safety and rule of law”, and “collapse of social infrastructure”.
On the issue of infiltration, the “white paper” claimed that 569 km of the 2,216.7 km international border with Bangladesh in West Bengal remains un-fenced, allegedly due to delays by the state government in land acquisition for barbed fencing, which, it said, has facilitated infiltration.
The document also accused the Trinamool Congress of running syndicates to facilitate the issuance of fake identity cards to infiltrators in order to build “vote banks”, thereby compromising national security and demographic balance.
On “systemic corruption and institutional collapse”, the document claimed that institutionalised corruption across sectors and a pervasive “cut-money” culture have affected citizen services. It further alleged that the denial of dearness allowance to around 20 lakh state government employees and the non-implementation of the Seventh Pay Commission have left them aggrieved.
Apart from this, systemic obstruction of electoral roll revisions and alleged disregard for Supreme Court directives have worsened the situation in the state, the BJP claimed.
According to the document, there have been over 300 political murders since 2016 and more than 13,000 attempted murders. It also alleged frequent communal unrest in several pockets of the state, resulting in what it described as a prevailing “rule of fear”.
It further claimed that crimes against women in West Bengal have reached an alarming level, with 34,738 reported cases in 2023 alone. “Suspension of the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and the silencing of Opposition MLAs have weakened democratic norms, resulting in a suppression of democracy,” the “white paper” observed.
Under “economic and industrial decline”, the document highlighted the alleged exit of 6,688 companies and the closure of 18,450 MSMEs, leading to significant capital flight during the 15-year Trinamool Congress regime.
It also claimed large-scale youth migration from the state, with over 40 lakh young people allegedly forced to move out due to a 47.6 per cent postgraduate unemployment rate.
The document further pointed to an agrarian crisis, citing distress in the potato and rice sectors, alleged extortion in fisheries and dairy, and neglect of around 5 lakh tea garden workers in north Bengal.
On the “collapse of social infrastructure”, it cited the cancellation of 26,000 teaching and non-teaching jobs in state-run schools following a Supreme Court order, which found widespread irregularities in appointments.
It also alleged deterioration in the healthcare sector, citing the state’s refusal to implement Ayushman Bharat and instances of fake medicine scandals, alongside claims that super-speciality hospitals lack basic facilities.
Urban decay, it added, is reflected in failing infrastructure in Kolkata, citing illegal constructions, flyover collapses, and repeated fire incidents.
(IANS)
