BJP leader extorts money from party man, victim seeks TMC's help

Kolkata: Infighting in BJP surfaced once again with the party's mondal president at Bally in Howrah allegedly demanding money from another leader of his party from the area for repairing his house.

Finding no other way out to get rid of the "threatening" situation, the 26-year-old victim Sourav Pal, who is the general secretary of the party's Yuba Morcha at Bally, called on the state Cooperation minister and Trinamool Congress MLA from Central Howrah Arup Roy on Thursday seeking his intervention in this connection.

Roy said: "All support has been extended to Pal ignoring his political affiliation."

Soon after being briefed about the incident, Roy contacted the commissioner of Howrah Police and officer-in-charge of Bally police station to stand by Pal. He also spoke to the commissioner of Howrah Municipal Corporation asking to ensure that Pal should not face any restriction in carrying out development of his house.

Pal, a resident of Bally Goswamipara in north Howrah, had lodged a complaint against the BJP's Bally mondal president Radharanjan Goswami with Bally police station alleging that the latter demanded

Rs 10 lakh as he is repairing his house and undertaken construction of another part of the building.

Pal said: "They had even snatched Rs 10,000 from me when I was on the way to a building material shop for making payment. I had repeatedly told them that it is not at all possible for me to pay them any money. I have received phone calls from Goswami's close ones after lodging the police complaint. Their tone of speaking was a matter of concern for me and my family."

Goswami cannot be contacted as his phone was found to be in switched off mode.