The new Bharatiya Janata Party government in West Bengal has started a crackdown on illegal roadside extortion, popularly known as the “Bhaipo tax”, which truck drivers and transporters allegedly faced during the previous Trinamool Congress rule.
Before the elections, Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised that people in Bengal would be freed from the so-called “Bhaipo tax” if the BJP came to power.
The term “Bhaipo”, which means nephew in Bengali, has often been used by opposition parties to refer to TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
The BJP had accused extortion groups of collecting illegal money from truck drivers on highways across Bengal. According to transporters, trucks entering Bengal from neighbouring states were often stopped at illegal checkpoints and forced to pay money.
Truck drivers claimed that refusing payment could lead to threats, damaged vehicles, broken mirrors, or punctured tyres.
Now, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari has reportedly ordered district officials to remove all illegal collection points from highways and prevent them from returning.
Several highways, especially routes connected to Jharkhand, Assam, and Bengal, were earlier known for such illegal checkpoints made using bamboo barricades.
Transport associations said many of these checkpoints have now disappeared, and traffic movement has become smoother over the past week.
The crackdown comes at a time when the BJP government has also increased pressure on Abhishek Banerjee by issuing notices linked to properties allegedly connected to him.
The government’s action against the so-called “Bhaipo tax” is part of a series of changes being made after the BJP came to power in the state.
