Babul Supriyo on Thursday said that his seven-year tenure of "hard work" as a central minister was never ‘acknowledged’ and hence, he lost respect for the ‘bosses'.
In a few explosive posts he tweeted on Wednesday, Babul, who had once fought on political frontlines for the BJP in Bengal, also challenged his former party, saying, “Let’s see how many BJP MPs can retain their seats in ‘24”.
“I deserved a promotion after diligently and successfully working as a MoS and spotlessly too for seven years. But If I don’t get acknowledged for my hard work, I lose respect for my bosses and if there (is) no respect, there (is) no point in handing (hanging) on cuz (because) I won't be able to give my best when dejected,” Babul posted.
Responding to a post that questioned what made him think that he deserved a minister of state’s post, Babul mentioned that in 2014 he was the only one to win from the state. “Humbled to be the first one to do so after Dr Shyamaprashad Mookherjee. A Bengali had to be appointed from West Bengal. I won my ‘place’, didn’t enter from the Rajya Sabha and ‘19 won again. Let’s see how many BJP MPs can retain their seats in ‘24,” he added.
After having been dropped from the Cabinet last year, Babul had announced that he is quitting politics. Thereafter in September, Babul joined the Trinamool Congress. Once having been sincerely critical of the Trinamool, he is now pointing fingers at his former party.
“I am extremely humbled and grateful to Didi (Mamata Banerjee) for calling me back into politics, an arena from where I had 'retired hurt',” Babul told Deccan Herald. Babul claimed that the BJP is in a “self-destructive mode” in the state. “I did not leave BJP for power, I left it in disgust. I am in no hurry for a post and shall do whatever the party decides for me. I am looking forward to the bypolls in Asansol - for sure the TMC candidate will win there and then I can work together with the new MP for the city I love, my Asansol,” he added.
The state BJP, however, rejected Babul’s claims and has in return challenged him to contest as an independent candidate and win from anywhere in the state. “First, politics is not a job, it’s a service of the country, of the people. It’s unprecedented, somebody asks (in such a way) for promotion. Second, he should contest (and show that he can win) as an independent candidate from any of the wards in the (upcoming) municipal elections. Let there be BJP, Trinamool candidates too,” Samik Bhattacharya, BJP’s chief spokesperson in West Bengal told Deccan Herald.
“Everyone acknowledged (his work), and he was an accepted face in the BJP. This (his tweets) is not political language. He wasn’t one from politics. In seven years, he couldn’t grow into one,” Bhattacharya added.
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