After Trinamul Congress MP Kabir Suman, now its party MLA from Singur Rabindranath Bhatt-acharya who has launched a torpedo against chief minister Mamata Banerjee alleging rampant extortion by the party’s rank and file and her complete knowledge about it.
His comments, close on the heels of Ms Banerjee’s claim of Trinamul Congress not being “a party of greedy”, has kicked up a huge controversy as the Opposition parties lauded him for speaking the truth.
A teacher by profession, Mr Bhattacharya during the recent reshuffle in the Mamata Banerjee government was shunted to a department of lesser significance — programme implementation and statistics from the agriculture department — much to his dissatisfaction.
On Monday evening, Mr Bhattacharya said: “I have heard her (the chief minister) saying “no” to cut money and she raises party funds by painting. But the extortion of money is taking place right under my nose and in front of my eyes. And it is a section of party leaders and workers who are directly involved in it.”
He also cited an instance of the lumpsum payment of money by a person to a Trinamul Congress leader for the job of a school teacher in his own assembly constituency apart.
“Its Phelo Kori Makho Tel,” he observed.
Increasing the discomfort of her party supremo, Mr Bhattacharya even claimed: “It is not possible that she (the chief minister) is in dark about the extortion. She knows all and that is why she has been warning the party time and again against extortion or protection money.”
On November 24 at the inauguration of a mela, Ms Banerjee had said: “Our party is not of the greedy. Greed has no place here.”