Kolkata: Alleged infighting within BJP-affiliated Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh (BMS) at the India-Bangladesh international Petrapole land port has brought cargo loading and unloading operations to a standstill for the past 48 hours, disrupting cross-border trade.Land Port Authority of India (LPAI) authorities claimed that the problem has till now not impacted import and export operations.Allegations have surfaced that junior Union minister for shipping Shantanu Thakur and state food minister Ashok Kirtania have been at loggerheads over control of the BMS workers’ union at Petrapole since the change of govt.Thakur held a meeting with Petrapole Land Port manager Kamlesh Saini on Monday and reportedly directed that operations would resume from Tuesday.
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“Representatives of several workers’ unions were also present. At the meeting, Thakur proposed dividing BMS workers into two groups and allocating separate shares of loading and unloading work to them,” a senior LPAI official said.However, the dispute remained unresolved till Tuesday afternoon, with workers’ unions expressing dissatisfaction over the proposed arrangement. “Netas close to Kirtania also questioned Thakur’s authority to divide the union and decide allocation of work,” said a union representative.During the previous Trinamool regime, loading and unloading operations at Petrapole were allegedly dominated by the TMC-affiliated workers’ union. “Following the change of govt, BMS gradually established its control over the operations. However, differences reportedly emerged between the two BJP netas over distribution of work,” a party insider said.Petrapole falls under Chhaygharia panchayat in Bongaon, which is part of Kirtania’s assembly constituency.On Oct 26, the food minister visited the border and held a meeting with the LPAI manager and BMS netas. “Following the meeting, Kirtania announced that 78% of loading and unloading work would be allocated to BMS workers, while the remaining 22% would go to workers from other unions. The announcement reportedly triggered resentment within BMS, following which Thakur intervened,” the union neta added.As the dispute escalated, a section of BMS workers reportedly stopped work from Sunday. Since Monday, trucks loaded with goods arriving from Bangladesh were left stranded at the border, causing considerable inconvenience to traders.Thakur said: “As a representative of Centre, I tried to resolve the problem. BMS has been divided into two groups and work has been distributed accordingly. Some people are unwilling to accept the decision but they will have to comply with it.”However, BMS Nagar Committee secretary Rajib Goswami, considered close to Kirtania, strongly opposed the arrangement. “Shantanu Thakur has no authority to divide the union,” he said.Kirtania also questioned the move, saying: “I will not allow anyone to exploit the money earned through the blood and sweat of the workers.”
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