KOLKATA:
Trinamool Congress (TMC) Member of Parliament Kabir Suman has made a shocking revelation of a nexus between Maoists and Chief Minister of West Bengal Mamata Banerjee.
Speaking to a local news channel, the singer turned politician claimed, “Maoists were very much involved in the Nandigram movement and Mamata Banerjee’s party would not have won a single seat in West Midnapore had there been no Kishenji or Maoists.”
The relationship between TMC and Kabir had reached an all time low when he accused senior TMC leaders of corruption in handling of local area development funds. “There were a lot of dealings between Maoists and TMC leadership during the Nandigram land agitation and they also helped her in the Singur movement,” claimed Kabir.
“He is saying all this trying to regain prominence in media. If he had known this why did he agree to contest general elections in 2009. He knows that the party will not give him a ticket in 2014 hence he is making such weird claims,” said TMC general secretary Mukul Roy.
Dissidence has been growing within TMC for some time now as many seniors leaders claim to have been sidelined after a lot of new faces joined the party since 2009 when TMC won 19 seats in the lower house of parliament.
Recently TMC leader and ousted railway minister Dinesh Trivedi had written to the prime minister saying that the bureaucrats and police are completely politicised and are working as per political instructions. Trivedi in that letter also claimed that sycophancy has taken over political parties and there is hardly any democracy any more.
“I have written to the prime minister in my own capacity as MP and I think that doesn’t violate any norms. My views are quite understandable and supported by a number of leaders within TMC,” said Trivedi.
“Every party has a few people who are not happy with the leadership for personal reasons and gains. But that doesn’t give them the right to violate party discipline as long they are with the party officially,” said Roy.
“Trivedi is unhappy that he was removed as Railway Minister but he should also understand that he should not have violated the stated party policy of increasing fares,” he added. Roy took over as Railway Minister from Trivedi after the last railway budget.
“There are grievances within a section of party leaders about their growing dominance. They have to realise that the party has grown manifold and hence it will not be like before where TMC was like a local club. Many leaders have expressed their grievances in the last party meetings held and we are looking into them,” said a TMC leader unwilling to be named.
