On Friday, July 28, Calcutta High Court Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay suggested that the Kolkata Municipal Corporation could hire a bulldozer from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s government. The remark was made while the court was hearing a case on illegal construction in Kolkata.
According to reports, the judge was hearing a plea of a woman seeking protection from some goon after she protested some illegal construction in her area. Her lawyer informed the court that she was so terrified that she is not being able to leave her house.
Reacting to this, the judge remarked that intimidation and bullying will not be tolerated in cases of illegal construction. Addressing the lawyer appearing for the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, judge Abhijit Gangopadhya said that they should borrow bulldozers from Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath if required.
The remark, according to sources close to the judge, was made in jest and nothing was put on record, however, it did not sit well with a few members of the ruling TMC in the state who lambasted the High Court judge, calling him ‘anti-TMC.’
“Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay wants publicity. He wants fame. The CPM has no role now. They are not in the race. That is why he is trying for the BJP. He doesn’t have any trust in the West Bengal BJP. He doesn’t believe in Sukanta Majumder or Suvendu Adhikari,” Trinamool Congress leader Kunal Ghosh said.
Accusing the judge of being anti-TMC, Ghosh further added, “If a bulldozer is required, the West Bengal government also has bulldozers. The (municipal) corporation also has bulldozers. He is blindly and genetically anti-TMC. Sometimes CPM, sometimes BJP. He doesn’t want any respect. He is not willing to take any respect.”
The TMC leader further claimed that women and Dalits were killed in Uttar Pradesh as a result of the Yogi government’s use of bulldozers.
The mayor of Kolkata, Firhad Hakim was also seemingly agitated by the remark made by the Kolkata HC judge. He said that the corporation will “never support any kind of illegal construction” and that it does not believe in the concept of bulldozing. “We believe in development,” he added.
BJP leader Shishir Bajoria also reacted to the judge’s remark and said, “It is very unfortunate that, once, it was said that what Bengal thinks today, India thinks tomorrow. But now Bengal is known for illegal work… Today it is very unfortunate that the Calcutta High Court has made the remark that if they don’t know how to restrict the illegal construction they have to hire bulldozers from Uttar Pradesh. This is so sad. The end of this government and Kolkata Municipal Corporation is near.”
He also criticised the TMC government in the state and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, saying that “In the Kolkata Municipal Corporation, many things are illegal. Rather, nothing is in a straight way. The ruling party is doing this.”
Yogi’s bulldozer- a symbol of strong action against criminals
Under Yogi Adityanath’s rule in Uttar Pradesh, a bulldozer has emerged as a symbol of strong action against dreaded criminals and the land mafia nexus that was rampant before Yogi Adityanath took over as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.
The land mafia was, in fact, hand in glove with the political leaders and enjoyed the economic benefits of the illegal lands. Yogi’s government did not discriminate before taking action against any land mafia by his or her caste, creed, religion or colour. Gradually, demolishing illegal properties built by criminals in Uttar Pradesh using a bulldozer became the identity of Yogi Adityanath, earning him the nickname of Bulldozer Baba.
In Uttar Pradesh, dreaded criminals Mukhtar Ansari and Ateeq Ahmed’s properties were bulldozed then the properties of Vikas Dubey and Vijay Mishra were also bulldozed and confiscated. Likewise, the illegal properties of several other dreaded criminals were bulldozed.
In May this year, the Kanpur Municipal Corporation along with the district administration carried out a demolition drive against infamous gangster Mohammad Asif alias Pappu Smart and razed all his illegal properties to the ground.
According to the reports, Asif is one of the prominent gangsters in the state of Uttar Pradesh and several cases including that murder, loot, and extortion have been registered against him. The Kanpur Municipal Corporation rolled the bulldozer over the properties illegally owned by Asif, the video of which went viral over social media.
In fact, last year it was reported that under Yogi Adityanath’s government illegally encroached land worth Rs 3,954 Crore has been recovered by the government.
