Malda: Controversy erupts over saffron painting of Panchayat office

Malda: A fresh controversy has sparked in the Bhabuk Gram Panchayat (GP) of Old Malda block after the local Panchayat office was painted saffron, replacing its previous blue and white color scheme. The decision has drawn sharp criticism from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership, while the BJP head of the Panchayat claims there was no opposition from TMC members.

The building, which serves as the administrative hub of the Panchayat, was recently painted using government funds under the leadership of BJP’s Prabhu Nath Dubey, who is also the head of the Panchayat. According to sources, nearly Rs 70,000 were spent on this painting work and another Rs 10 lakh were used to construct a new building at the office, which has also been painted saffron. Local TMC leaders have voiced strong objections to the colour change, questioning why development funds were spent on painting the office instead of on public welfare projects. “The BJP-run Panchayat is misusing public money for political purposes. The Panchayat office has effectively been turned into a BJP office,” said Manik Sarkar, TMC Chairman of Bhabuk Anchal. He added that the party would take legal action against the misuse of funds. In defense, BJP’s Prabhu Nath Dubey explained that seven TMC members of the Panchayat had agreed to the colour change. He further stated: “There has been no official directive from the government against using saffron. If the TMC comes to power, they can change the colour to blue and white and we will not object.”

Sejuti Maity, Block Development Officer (BDO) Old Malda, declined to comment on the matter, stating: “I will not speak on this issue.” However, some local officials clarified that the Panchayat head has the authority to decide the colour of the building.