In a bizarre incident, considered to be the handiwork of some right wing forces, thousands of people queued up before tens of post offices and banks to open “zero balance” accounts after rumour did the rounds that come January, the Narendra Modi Government would be transferring cash in each such account.
People braved biting cold of sub-Himalayan North Bengal and queued up before banks and post offices across Coochbehar, Dinhata and elsewhere to open accounts, sources said adding most of them were confirmed that their accounts would get fatter from January when the Centre would start depositing cash in them.
“I have no idea but some people said that Modi Government will give us money. But how much I don’t know,” said a person standing at the end of about 250 people outside a post office at Coochbehar said. A woman who had come all the way from Tufanganj said the Government would give in excess of Rs 5 lakh.
In Kolkata PMG Gautam Bhattaacharjee said he too had information about people queuing up before the post offices “as such accounts can be opened at any postal branches. Our local managers inquired about the reason behind sudden spurt in the number of account seekers but nothing extra-ordinary caught their eyes.”
Though the police had no queue about the mischief mongers, sources said that searches were on to find out such people. Incidentally Coochbehar is a district bordering Assam where the BJP has witnessed a meteoric rise over the past several years — particularly in the urban regions — with the effect that it is threatening the ruling Trinamool Congress in terms of winnability chances.