After Rabindranath Bhattacharya and Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, it is now state food and supplies minister Jyotipriyo Mullick who has joined the league to leave chief minister Mamata Banerjee, her party and government in a tight spot.
In the past, Mr Mullick, the Trinamul Congress MLA from Habra, had been at the centre of controversy for his raging comments against the CPI(M). But this time, Mr Mullick’s comments were targeted on his own party’s future as he cast a serious doubt on the return of Trinamul Congress to power for a second term.
While speaking to the media after a meeting with the department officials at Khadya Bhavan on Saturday, Mr Mullick had said: “I will go out in 2016 when the (Assembly) election will take place.” His comments not only started a hot debate in the political circles but also defied the recent gag order issued by the Trinamul Congress to it its ministers to not to speak to the electronic media. Sensing trouble, Mr Mullick on Sunday claimed that his comments were distorted by the media. But it was too late.
Former CPI(M) MP Sujan Chakraborty said that Mr Mullick made such comments because he has already “foreseen the party’s ouster from power in 2016”.
Going a step further, minister of state for railways and Congress MP Adhir Chowdhury said: “I will be surprised if this government even survives till 2016.”
Earlier on Saturday, the state food and supplies minister’s comments came when he was expressing his unhappiness over the public service commission’s plan to recruit inspectors in his department in December 2015, much in contrary to his wish to fill up the vacant posts now. Mr Mullick did not clarify whether he meant the ouster of the Trinamool Congress from power or his ouster from the Cabinet as the chief minister has already expressed her dissatisfaction on his performance.