Supporters of Banna Gupta and Saryu Roy sloganeer against each other, ousted shopkeepers still await resolution of problems
Jamshedpur: Mango Municipal Area has now turned into a hotbed of politics as most of the political parties have jumped into the bandwagon to join issues with the administration on anti-encroachment drive and rehabilitation of ousted shopkeepers.
While, Congress and BJP were already in the fray to win the support of ousted roadside shopkeepers, Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy and his party too have now decided to stand by the agitating shopkeepers.
As the district administration carried out the eviction of roadside shopkeepers on Friday, political tensions grew in the Mango Municipal Corporation region, which falls in Jamshedpur West Assembly constituency.
The shopkeepers are now in a perilous situation as they try to make ends meet at a time when festivals like Ram Navami, Navrat, and Ramzan are already ongoing..
Political organizations such as the BJP, Congress, and BJM have voiced their support for the shopkeepers and opposed the eviction, but they have been rendered helpless by the administration’s stringent enforcement. The subject of potential store owners relocation is currently being discussed, igniting a new political controversy.
Following the eviction, some shop owners have started to demonstrate against the local MLA and Minister Banna Gupta.
In response, the district administration filed a FIR accusing BJP leaders of impeding official work.
When Jamshedpur East MLA Saryu Roy visited the evicted store owners on Wednesday and demanded openness in the allocation of new establishments, the situation worsened.
After Minister Banna Gupta’s supporters started sloganeering at Saryu Roy during this visit, Roy’s supporters responded by shouting slogans against Gupta.
The future of the 250 shop owners who were forcibly evicted hangs in the balance as political tensions increase because their sources of income are now in peril.
The situation of the impacted shop owners has received attention as a result of the continuing political discussions and demonstrations.
What resolution can be reached amidst opposing interests and pro- and anti-slogans is still up in the air.
