Trinamool was fighting fires after Suvendu Adhikari resigned as a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet.
Calcutta:
Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress has a third leader who sounds a discordant note ahead of the Assembly elections in about four months from now. Suvendu Adhikari, the Nandigram MLA, has already left the cabinet. Forests Minister Rajib Banerjee gave such a bitter note that Trinamool Secretary General Partha Chatterjee called him for a talk Sunday in the presence of election strategist Prashant Kishor. And now he was Jitender Tiwari, Trinamool MLA from Asansol and former mayor of the city who is in the stronghold of the BJP Union Minister Babul Supriyo.
Tiwari has accused the state government of depriving Asansol of central funds “due to political reasons” and of failing to provide matching funds to the state treasury city.
In a painful letter to Bengal’s urban affairs minister, Firhad Hakim, Mr. Tiwari said that “due to political reasons, the state government did not allow us to obtain the benefits of the Smart City Mission Project.” The funds promised by the state were not delivered. “I feel that an injustice has been committed to the city of Asansol,” he added.
Asansol, chosen by the Center for the smart city mission, should have received 2 billion rupees from the Center, but Tiwari claimed the state did not allow it.
He asked Mr. Hakim to rectify “the wrongdoing on his part towards Asansol.”
Hakim has expressed shock at Tiwari’s statement, claiming that the BJP had incited him.
Tiwari claimed that he had not leaked the controversial letter, that he was a loyal Trinamool soldier.
But his discontent has caused enough concern that the party called him for a meeting in Kolkata tomorrow. Prashant Kishor will reportedly be present.
Forestry Minister Rajib Banerjee had criticized his party two weeks ago, shortly after Suvendu Adhikari rebelled and stepped down as cabinet minister.
Mr. Banerjee had lashed out at the party, saying: “Those who are doing well, those who have the ability … are marginalized at TMC. The psychophagus and yesmen score is higher.” At that time, he had also discussed the consequences if Suvendu Adhikari leaves the party. “Those who work in the field do not have the advantage. The seekers of power are getting a place in the team,” he had added.
Last month, the Trinamool Congress was busy fighting fires after Suvendu Adhikari stepped down as a minister in Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet.
Amid speculation that he might change camps and join the BJP, the Trinamool had rushed main leader Sougata Roy to reason with them. Roy even managed to get Adhikari to meet his bete noire in the party, the Trinamool MP and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, Abhishek Banerjee. Mr. Prashant Kishore was present at that meeting which Sougata Roy declared a success.
The next day, Adhikari texted Roy to say, “Excuse me, I can’t work like this anymore.”
Mr. Adhikari wields considerable influence over local party leaders in Malda, Murshidabad, Purulia, Bankura, and East and West Midnapore, where he was Trinamool’s manager and observer for several years.
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