Kolkata, June 19 (IANS) Leader of the opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday accused the Mamata Banerjee-led West Bengal government of holding “anti-Guajarati mindset” following allegations by some members of the state cabinet accusing the office of the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO), West Bengal of awarding tender for election-related work to a Gujarat-based entity declining the claims from West Bengal-based entities who also participated in the tendering process.

On Wednesday, while speaking on the floor of the assembly, the state municipal affairs & urban development minister and the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor, Firhad Hakim said that recently the office of CEO, West Bengal floated a tender for election-related work for the bypolls for Kaliganj assembly constituency which is being conducted on Thursday.

Hakim accused the CEO’s office of awarding the tender for some webcasting-related work for the bypolls to an Ahmedabad-based entity declining the claims of some West Bengal-based entities who also participated in the tendering process.

Hakim also claimed that in that matter the CEO’s office deprived the entities of West Bengal.

Later, while speaking to the media persons on the same day, West Bengal Minister of State for Finance (independent charge), Chandrima Bhattacharya also echoed the same allegations.

Although the CEO’s office did not react to the allegations, the leader of the opposition reacted on Thursday and accused the state government of holding an “anti-Gujarati mindset”.

“Expressing concern over the selection of an agency from Ahmedabad, Gujarat, for webcasting services and highlighting the agency’s Ahmedabad origin, implies a regional bias against Gujarati entities, who can lawfully participate in any Tender process and being from Gujarat does not bar them as Gujarat is very much a part of India,” said Adhikari in a statement issued on Thursday.

He also claimed that the Gujarat-based entity was surely selected after fulfilling all parameters and despite that it was being targeted in the context of Trinamool Congress’ “broader political rivalry with people & entities that they conveniently label as ‘outsiders’ when it suits them”.

The leader of the opposition also claimed that such allegations should not have come from a Trinamool Congress-led state government that, according to him, is infamous for choosing people of their choice for crucial posts like Chief Secretary and state director general of police disregarding the seniority factor.

He pointed out how the current chief secretary Manoj Pant was selected ignoring the claims of two other Indian Administrative Service (IAS) officers senior to him.

Similarly, Adhikari added, the current state Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar was also selected ignoring the claim of another Indian Police Service (IPS) officer senior to him.

–IANS

src/pgh