Loyalty led to my downfall, but I am still with TMC: Partha Chatterjee breaks silence after release from jail

Kolkata: Former West Bengal education minister Partha Chatterjee, who spent three years and three months in jail in the multi-crore school jobs scam, on Wednesday declared that "life has not ended yet" and asserted that he remains a TMC man despite his suspension from the party.

Chatterjee said he would first focus on recovering his health before returning to public life, and insisted that politics is in his blood and "loyalty to the TMC led to my downfall".

A special CBI court granted bail to Chatterjee on Monday, and he returned home on November 11.

"Life doesn't end here. My first task is to regain my physical and mental strength and reconnect with the people of Behala West, my constituency. As a fish cannot live without water, I cannot live without politics," he said in an interview with Bengali news channel ABP Ananda.

Chatterjee, who was arrested on July 23, 2022, by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) after crores of rupees were allegedly recovered from the apartments of his close aide Arpita Mukherjee, claimed he was never officially served a suspension letter by the TMC.

"You all say I was suspended, but I never received any letter. The party may not be with me, but I am still with the party," said the 72-year-old leader, adding emphatically, "Trinamool Congress is my party."

Asked whether he would seek reinstatement in the TMC, Chatterjee appeared noncommittal. "I don't know. My main job now is to regain health and meet the people of my constituency," he said, adding that he plans to visit Behala later this month.

The veteran politician, who once served as TMCs secretary-general and a key strategist even before the party's rise to power in 2011, evoked nostalgia while recalling his long association with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"I have followed Mamata Banerjee all my life; she remains my leader. When the party was in crisis, she was fighting outside and I was fighting inside," he said.

"Abhishek (Banerjee) is the automatic choice for the future, there is no doubt about that." However, Chatterjee admitted that his "loyalty" to the party and its leadership ultimately became his undoing.

"My downfall is because of my loyalty," he said emotionally.

The former minister also responded sharply when asked about his association with Arpita Mukherjee, from whose flats the ED had seized cash worth around Rs 50 crore.

"Yes, Arpita is my friend. What's wrong with that? I say it proudly. My wife passed away long back; can't I have a friend? Why this hypocrisy?" he remarked, taking a dig at those who mocked their relationship.

Asked whether he had any contact with Mamata or Abhishek Banerjee since his arrest, Chatterjee said, "No, I haven't spoken to anyone in the party leadership. But many grassroots workers have stood by me, some sent sweets, some fruits, some wept in court."

On the graft charges, Chatterjee said he does not think corruption is an issue that destroys a political party.

"Development is what matters most. If corruption were the deciding factor, then Jayalalithaa, Stalin or even the BJP could not have returned to power," he said.

He defended his tenure as education minister, claiming significant expansion and reform during his time. "Under Mamata Banerjee's leadership, we built 51 universities and 8,000 schools. Attendance, scholarships, and educational infrastructure all improved. None of this can be erased by allegations," he said.

Responding to questions about why others accused in similar cases, such as Anubrata Mondal and Jyotipriya Mallick, were not suspended by the party, Chatterjee said, "Maybe I was the first case, that's why. Others came later."

In one of the most emotional moments of the interview, Chatterjee compared his ordeal to that of the mythological Bhishma, saying, "I have been struck by arrows but never fired one back. In jail, I realised that if you don't strike back, prison becomes your destiny. I was betrayed. I will find out who my Brutus was."

Despite facing political isolation and legal battles, Chatterjee hinted he was not done with public life.

When asked what he would do if the TMC refuses to take him back, he smiled and said, "I will cross the bridge when it comes."

Chatterjee also said he would return unused funds from his MLA allocation to the Chief Minister's Relief Fund, saying, "I haven't been able to do any work for my constituency, so I'll return the money. I want to contribute to her initiative of providing ambulances from the fund."

The former minister concluded the nearly hour-long interview with a tone of defiance mixed with wounded loyalty to Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool legacy, but clearly hurt at being cast away.

"I never worked against the party. I never betrayed anyone. But my loyalty, it seems, has been my punishment," he said.

Chatterjee was one of the key leaders of the TMC and served as its secretary-general for over a two decades before his arrest in 2022 plunged him into one of the biggest political scandals in Bengal's recent history.

He continues to face trial in the alleged SSC recruitment scam, with the next hearing expected later this month.