The plight of a family living on the Free School Street footpath in Kolkata has escalated into a political contest between the TMC and BJP, with both parties offering housing and support. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met the family, promising KMC-facilitated housing, while Mamata Banerjee had previously vowed to arrange for their living and the child's education.

The plight of a family living on the Free School Street footpath in Kolkata has escalated into a political contest between the TMC and BJP, with both parties offering housing and support. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met the family, promising KMC-facilitated housing, while Mamata Banerjee had previously vowed to arrange for their living and the child's education.

The plight of a family living on the Free School Street footpath in Kolkata has escalated into a political contest between the TMC and BJP, with both parties offering housing and support. Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari met the family, promising KMC-facilitated housing, while Mamata Banerjee had previously vowed to arrange for their living and the child's education.

On Monday, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee promised that her party would look after a family living on the Free School Street footpath. On Tuesday, the family was seen with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari after his ‘Janata Durbar’, a weekly public outreach. The CM said the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) will make real living arrangements for the family, away from the footpath, which is for the public.

Suvendu Adhikari alleged that the TMC had also reached out to the family and offered them money. “You saw Sita Devi come here and said she has faith in the Chief Minister and BJP. She does not believe Mamata,” he said.

The CM also attacked the erstwhile Left Front and Trinamool Congress(TMC) governments, saying that during their 34-year and 15-year regimes, no one enquired about them.

BJP leader Locket Chatterjee, who was present at the Janata Durbar, commented on the matter, saying, “The Chief Minister extends all help towards them. Mamata Banerjee is showing sympathy. She made Bengal poor in 15 years. If suddenly she appears to be empathetic, people will not believe it.”

The controversy began after Municipal Affairs and Urban Development Minister Agnimitra Paul reprimanded Sita Devi, a woman on the footpath, for heating milk for a 6-month-old child and asked the family to move. The family had reportedly been living on that pavement for five decades.

She responded to Paul, saying she would not be living on the footpath if she had a home.

On Monday, Paul clarified her stance in a video message. “I heard a lot of criticism from the opposition over the incident of heating milk on the pavement of Free School Street. But nobody took one bowl of milk to this family. Everyone wants to play politics,” Paul said.

Paul supported her clarification by explaining the conditions of a 6-month-old child lying alone on a low pavement on a busy road, when the mother and grandmother were at a distance. She also took a sympathetic stance, questioning who would take the responsibility if there were an accident.

On the same day, Mamata, in a Facebook live, said her party will make living arrangements for the family and take care of the child’s education if the family agrees. “Doesn’t it hurt you (BJP) to throw away the milk? Remember, a mother’s curse is big. Threatening people? I am willing to take responsibility for this family,” she said.

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