Siliguri councillor faces show-cause from TMC

Trinamul Congress councillor from Ward 46 of the Siliguri Municipal Corporation (SMC), Dilip Barman, has appealed to Firhad Hakim, minister-in-charge of municipal affairs and urban development, seeking his intervention over alleged harassment by mayor Gautam Deb and deputy mayor Ranjan Sarkar.

The appeal comes shortly after TMC’s state president Subrata Bakshi served a show-cause notice to Barman for “breaching party discipline” during the SMC board meeting held on 30 July.

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In the notice, Bakshi wrote: “Your conduct during the board meeting of Siliguri Municipal Corporation and your subsequent unsolicited remarks to the media have severely damaged the image of the party. The party does not, under any circumstances, endorse such regrettable behaviour.”

In response, Mr Barman has submitted a detailed complaint to Mr Hakim, alleging that he is being repeatedly side-lined and insulted despite being elected as an MMiC (member, mayor-in-council) for trade licence, sports, and housing. He claimed that key decisions in his department are made without his knowledge.

“I had raised questions regarding a cattle shed and illegal construction in my ward, which I had informed the chairman about in advance. However, during the board meeting, I was jostled by deputy mayor Ranjan Sarkar and humiliated for raising the issue. The mayor remained silent,” Barman wrote.

He further alleged that instructions were issued to stop the SMC team from demolishing an illegal structure in his ward, despite prior orders from the SMC commissioner. He added that a mass petition by residents against the cattle shed had already been submitted in the last meeting.

“As a public representative, I’m accountable to my constituents. When they question me, I have to raise their concerns. But instead of answering, the mayor and deputy mayor asked me to leave the meeting and silenced me,” Barman claimed.

On the show-cause notice, Barman told reporters that he would respond “in full detail,” outlining how he had been mistreated by party leadership since 2012.