West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. File
| Photo Credit: PTI
A public spat between West Bengal Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee and MLA Piyush Kanoria come as an embarassement to the Bharatiya Janata Party in the State.
. The Minister, who is also an MLA from Bidhannagar, on Tuesday (September 22) got into a public argument with BJP MLA from the neighboring Rajarhat-Newtown constituency, Piyush Kanoria. The altercation was caught on camera which has resulted in embarrassment to the party.
Sharadwat Mukherjee was listening to the grievances of ward number 28 of South Dum Dum Municipality in his assembly area. While the Minister was reading the complaint letters of the people of the area, Piyush Kanoria arrived and sat in front of the stage where the common people were sitting. “Among us, the MLA from the neighboring assembly, Piyush Kanoria, is there,” the Minister said. Mr. Kanoria reacted by saying that the Minister cannot say that he is an MLA from another assembly constituency.
Allegations of extortion and cut money, which were a hallmark of the Trinamool Congress regime, have started cropping up in the BJP regime as well. The complaint letter that the Health Minister read on Tuesday referred to similar allegations. Mr. Mukherjee said that most of the letters were anonymous, which means that the BJP government’s promise of “Bhoy out Bhorsa In (Fear out, Faith in)” has not yet been established. Mr. Kanoria said that he is a resident of Dum Dum Park and the Minister made a mistake by saying he is from the adjoining constituency.
State BJP president Samik Bhattacharya has tried to downplay the development and said while Sharadwat Mukherjee remains a Minister, Piyush Kanoria is an old and dedicated BJP worker.
Meanwhile, West BengalChief MinisterSuvendu Adhikari has asked ministers in his cabinet to concentrate on their work and avoid getting into any controversy .
Two Ministers of the Suvendu Adhikari cabinet — Minister for Municipal Affairs Agnimitra Paul and Health Minister Sharadwat Mukherjee have been seen actively visiting streets and hospitals, respectively. Ms. Paul has often been seen trying to clear sidewalks and footpaths, sometimes arguing with pavement dwellers and vegetable sellers. She was also seen with a microphone in hand, spreading awareness on road awareness.
Published – September 24, 2026 04:00 am IST
