'TMC's facade': BJP claims Muslim ministers ousted from bungalow to accommodate Mamata's 'tainted' advisor

BJP's Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday alleged that an MLA and two ministers of the state, all Muslims, had been "asked to move unceremoniously" from a government bungalow in Kolkata to accommodate Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's 'tainted' finance advisor Hari Krishna Dwivedi.

Adhikari, the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, said an 8-bedroom 7000 square feet palatial government bungalow near the Quest Mall was being renovated for its new occupant Dr Hari Krishna Dwivedi, former chief secretary and presently the 'Finance Advisor' to the Chief Minister. He also claimed that Rs 2 crore was being spent on renovation, refurbishment, and furnishings.

"Interestingly, the present occupants who have been asked to move unceremoniously are: Janab Akhruzzaman, Minister of State - Department of Power; Janab Giasuddin Molla; MLA & Former Minister of State for Minority Affairs; Begum Sabina Yeasmin, Minister of State - Irrigation & Waterways Department."

"This is the true nature of Mamata Banerjee. Muslim leaders are mere faces, needed to glossify the secular facade of the TMC Party and attract Muslim Votes," he said.

Adhikari said that when the cameras are off, the Muslim leaders are treated with indignity and disrespect. "Why else these Muslim Ministers & MLAs only have been shown the door to accommodate a tainted Retired Official?" he asked, adding that these ministers and MLAs don't have residences in Kolkata while the official who will now get that bungalow already owns not one but two private residences in Kolkata

"Let's not forget that he unethically misused his position during service and drew more than Rs 16.4 lakhs as HRA while enjoying rent-free accommodation in a Govt bungalow," he said.

A 1988 IAS batch officer, Dwivedi was appointed Bengal Chief Secretary in 2021 and retired on December 31, 2023 after getting a six-month extension on his term.