Bengal Finance Minister Says Extortion Continues, Requests One-Year Timeline
· India · Hindustan Times, PTI
West Bengal Finance Minister Swapan Dasgupta admitted that extortion persists in the state despite the change of government, stating public trust cannot be fully restored until the practice ends. He requested a one-year period to eliminate the extortion menace, noting he has made efforts in his own Assembly constituency of Rashbehari without achieving complete success. The minister's remarks followed BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya's call for party workers to file FIRs against misconduct regardless of political affiliation. Opposition leaders, including CPI(M)'s Sujan Chakraborty, have criticised the contradictory statements from BJP leaders as exposing contradictions in the ruling party's claims of political change.
Why it matters
The admission highlights the continued vulnerability of citizens to extortion, undermining governance claims and prompting opposition criticism of the ruling party's credibility on law and order.
Read the original report — Hindustan Times
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