Kolkata: Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee accepted senior Trinamool Congress leader Subhendu Adhikari’s resignation in less than five hours Friday, and the party has since remained tight-lipped on the development.
But party insiders say his resignation, just months before the state assembly elections, has sent a “wrong message” and may provoke fence-sitters to take steps of their own.
Not only this, even top BJP leaders believe it is the most “crucial” political event in Bengal this year and their party’s “biggest opportunity”.
Subhendu, the state transport minister and former MP, was considered Mamata’s most trusted lieutenant. He was the key man behind the chief minister’s 2007 anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram that had helped her end 34 years of Left rule in the state.
Subhendu has significant clout in three districts of Jangalmahal area — Bankura, Purulia and West Midnapore — as well as his home ground of East Midanpore. These four districts constitute nine Lok Sabha seats and 63 assembly segments.
According to political analysts, however, Subhendu has a support base in around 110 assembly constituencies which include parts of Malda, Murshidabad, South Dinajpur, Hooghly and Howrah (rural). He has worked as TMC’s observer in some of these areas, primarily in Jangalmahal, Malda and Murshidabad for a long time.
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A mass leader
Subhendu’s resignation came months after he remained at odds with the party’s leadership. He had stopped attending cabinet meetings, chief minister’s administrative meetings and TMC events in the past four to five months.
But no major efforts were made by the party leaders. In the last few days, only two veteran MPs, including Sudip Banerjee and Sougata Roy, had met him. But they failed to break the ice.
According to a TMC insider, Subhendu has been expressing his discontent against a section of leaders and certain policies of the party for the past six months. “He (Subhendu) had mentioned to Didi that party’s image was getting tainted with complaints of cut-money (extortion), unabated violence and arrogance of some senior leaders,” he added.
Subhendu’s resignation also came a day after he was replaced as chairman of the Hooghly River Bridge Commission (HRBC) by Sreerampore MP Kalyan Banerjee. Kalyan had earlier publicly criticised Subhendu and launched personal attacks against him.
According to a senior TMC leader, Mamata saw Subhendu’s rebellion against her as his “arrogance” and refused to mend fences. “We win elections on Didi’s name. No leader is indispensable. Trinamool Congress is all about Didi,” the leader said.
But a TMC veteran said Subhendu is a “mass-leader” who had paved the way for Mamata’s anti-land acquisition movement in Nandigram.
“The Adhikari family, Sisir da (Sisir Adhikari, TMC MP from Kanthi and Subhendu’s father) and Subhendu’s role in ending Left’s 34 years of misrule can never be denied and demeaned. It does not matter what a section of new leaders or Kolkata-based ministers think. But we know that Subhendu is the only one, barring Didi, who has his connections with the ground. He understands people’s pulse. I would say, Trinamool today lost a genuine leader. And this loss is even bigger than losing Mukul Roy,” the senior leader said.
Roy, who was Trinamool’s national general secretary, had quit the party in 2017.
Even as Subhendu’s resignation came as a surprise to many, speculations are also on about his next step — will he join the BJP?
Speaking to The Print, Sisir, however, said, “Subhendu takes his own decisions and we do not interfere. He told me that he would quit government positions. Some leaders were unnecessary attacking him. He is still with the party and I am still working under Mamata Banerjee’s command.”
ThePrint had mailed and texted the party’s spokespersons for comment but no response was received till the time this report went for publication.
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BJP’s gain?
A top BJP leader in Delhi had earlier told ThePrint that Subhendu would leave Trinamool in a fortnight and was likely to join the ruling party.
Even though the TMC leader is yet to clear the air over his next step, political observers also feel that he would join the saffron brigade.
Biswanath Chakrabaroti, a senior political analyst, told The Print, “BJP would agree to anything to get Subhendu. He has his clout in almost 110 assembly segments. And unlike other Trinamool leaders, Subhendu has his own charisma. He has a good support base and thousands of followers.”
He added, “Subhendu’s decision will provoke others to jump ship. Moreover, his withdrawal from Trinamool will create a perception of the party being a sinking ship now. So there are a lot of factors. BJP would do anything to get him.”
BJP’s National General Secretary Kailash Vijaywargiya said, “We will definitely want him in our party. Apart from Mamata, he is the only leader in Trinamool who has grassroots connect. He has young leaders with him as his followers. His exit from Mamata’s cabinet is a crucial development in Bengal politics.”
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I sometimes wonder if Prashant Kishore’s agenda is to weaken the incumbent State Governments and indirectly help the BJP in winning elections.. On top of it, he gets paid handsomely for it!
In its understandable desire to win Bengal, BJP must avoid being the B team of TMC.
Beginning of END of
DANGAL DIDI has started.
Reasons of turbulence in TMC may be attributed to Mamta who considers herself to be sole architect of defeating left forgetting contributions of likes of Mukul Roy, Adhikari brothers, hence managing TMC party affairs as family fiefdom and chose to handover baton to Abhishek, a point of contention within TMC. This has annoyed many young leaders who are likely to crossover political allegiance to showcase her as to who defeated left. Blunder of not sharing power honourably & plan to impose Abhishek will cost Mamta WB power game.
With Suvendu intending to leave, public perception of TMC to be a sinking ship will further erode it’s public support base resulting in its leaders making beeline for alternative political platforms. I’ll not be surprised if administration in general & police specifically starts ignoring action plans of TMC’s whimsical ways of atrocities against opposition parties & that’ll be final nail in the TMC coffins.
What steps cornered street fighter Mamta Didi takes for political survival will be worth watching in days to come. But, elections being round the corner, some 5 months away, time factor has become of utmost significance. With emergence of BJP as alternate power house in WB considered inimical to muslims interests as articulated by so called secularists, will intellectuals, secularists, impacted politicians of WB succeeds in fomenting communal flare ups ? WB is already sitting on a volcano, many communal violence has incurred in past 4-5 years. Recent power imbalance presents precarious situation indeed and government must keep vigil & take appropriate actions to safeguard interest of WB.
Suvendu’s exit from TMC has ensured BJP’s comfortable win in upcoming assembly elections.