West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari’s held the second edition of his weekly ‘Janata Darbar’, drawing massive crowds of job seekers, teachers, professionals and ordinary citizens who gathered to present their grievances directly before the newly elected Chief Minister.
Hundreds of people assembled outside the BJP state office in Salt Lake hours before Adhikari’s arrival, with long queues stretching through nearby lanes as people waited with petitions, memoranda and personal documents.
The outreach initiative, launched after Adhikari assumed office on May 9, is being projected as a direct public grievance platform aimed at improving accessibility between citizens and the government. The first Janata Darbar was held on May 18.
As the Chief Minister arrived around 10 am, slogans of “Jai Shri Ram”, “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Vande Mataram” echoed across the venue.
People from different districts and social backgrounds attended the event, including teachers’ associations, Group D aspirants, women police job seekers, nurses, medical professionals, victims of alleged poll violence and citizens seeking intervention in personal and civic matters.
According to party sources, around 100 individuals and delegations managed to directly place their concerns before the Chief Minister inside the party office.
Employment and recruitment issues dominated the proceedings. Representatives of the group of 26,000 “eligible” school job aspirants sought restoration of jobs based on merit, while others raised concerns regarding recruitment in technical education institutions and service-related matters.
One of the notable cases involved 81-year-old Bhabanipur resident Prabir Mukhopadhyay, who alleged he was cheated in a land-for-flat dispute involving arrested businessman Biswajit Poddar alias “Sona Pappu” and promoter Joy Kamdar.
Mukhopadhyay claimed he had handed over ancestral land for a housing project but never received the promised flat after construction was completed. Speaking after meeting the Chief Minister, he said he felt reassured.
“I am relieved. He assured me that my issue would be looked into,” the elderly petitioner said. Representatives of the West Bengal Women Police Jobseekers Sangrami Manch also attended the event, demanding action over alleged irregularities in women police recruitment criteria.
The turnout exceeded the venue’s capacity, with many unable to enter despite waiting for several hours. Security personnel struggled to manage the growing crowds throughout the day. BJP spokesperson Debjit Sarkar was also seen assisting elderly citizens through the crowd as people continued arriving at the venue.
Around noon, Adhikari left for official engagements at the state secretariat Nabanna. However, many citizens remained outside the office hoping their petitions would still reach the Chief Minister. The Janata Darbar initiative is emerging as one of the BJP government’s early public outreach programmes in West Bengal, mirroring similar grievance redressal models implemented in other BJP-ruled states.
