Launching a scathing attack on the Mamata Banerjee-led government in West Bengal, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday demanded a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the recent fire incident at a warehouse in Anandpur, which has claimed at least 25 lives.
Alleging that the TMC-ruled state was witnessing growing misgovernance, lawlessness, and corruption, BJP national spokesperson Guru Prakash Paswan described the fire incident as a “man-made disaster” and flagged fire safety violations and “government’s insensitivity”.
“A new example of the extreme limits of misgovernance is coming before us every day. Recently, the Calcutta High Court said that in West Bengal, it is not the rule of law, but the rule of the ruler that prevails. The incidents occurring every day clearly prove this point,” Paswan said.
“If we look at January 2026, incidents such as factory fires, the Anandapur incident, the Digberia paint factory incident, the Burrabazar chemical fire, the Gangasagar camp fire, and the Nonadanga slum fire, have caused immense suffering to poor people. Despite this, the state government seems to be completely indifferent,” he said.
The incident in Anandpur was just 7 kilometres from the seat of power in Kolkata, yet no representative of the government, including the chief minister visited the site, Paswan alleged.
“If a raid happens at a political consultancy, the CM reaches the spot and allegedly even creates obstacles in the investigation process. But when a fire in Kolkata leaves at least 25 people dead…, no sensitivity is shown by the government,” he said.
“This was entirely a man-made disaster. No fire safety norms were followed, and the mandatory NOCs and audits were not obtained. Till now, neither the Chief Minister nor any of her senior leaders has visited the site. Action has been taken only against the godown manager and the deputy manager, but what about the bigger sharks? Why has no action been taken against the CEO of Wow! Momo?” Paswan asked.
Citing it as “yet another example of misgovernance”, Paswan questioned the condition of bridge construction in the state, referring to structures such as the Majerhat Bridge, Vivekananda Flyover, Ultadanga Flyover, Manganj Canal Bridge, and Kakdwip Bridge, which he said were in “extremely poor and dangerous condition.”
“Referring to the famous song ‘Highway to Hell’ by AC/DC, it would not be an exaggeration to state that under Mamata Banerjee’s rule, these bridges in West Bengal have effectively turned into ‘highways to hell’…it is extremely unfortunate that bridges are constructed and then allowed to deteriorate,” Paswan added.