JOIN USTMC rebel Rabindranath Bhattacharya quits politics
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Rabindranath Bhattacharya’s announcement of his decision to quit politics and resign as MLA from Singur has caused a stir in the West Bengal politics.
Both the Congress and BJP trying to gain advantage of the situation. The two national parties are leaving no stones unturned to woo Bhattacharya as it will help them in the upcoming Panchayat polls.
“Rabindranath Bhattacharya is an honest man. We support him in his fight against corruption in the ruling party and the state government. We will be very happy if we could help him since we want the truth to come out. If he wishes to join our party or seek support from us, we are ready to talk to him whenever he wants,” Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradip Bhattacharya told Deccan Herald.
According to political observers, Congress is looking for chinks in TMC armour and if they succeed in winning Bhattacharya to their side, they can easily capitalise on his popularity and make a dent in TMC’s vote bank, particularly in southern part of Bengal.
Meanwhile, the BJP has opened its arms wide for Bhattacharya. Party state president Rahul Sinha said: “We respect Bhattacharya. We support his stand wholeheartedly. As far as the BJP is concerned, we would welcome him in open arms in our party. Our doors are open for him. We are ready to support him”.
Earlier, Bhattacharya, considered to be the face of Singur movement, said: “The situation is such that I think it is better to live peacefully. So I have decided to quit politics totally. I don’t want to blame anybody and I want to remain as an ordinary TMC supporter. I am absolutely sure that I do not want to hold any position that has political responsibilities.”
Bhattacharya rebelled after Banerjee moved him from the agriculture ministry to the lightweight Statistics and Programme Implementation Department last week.
Popularly known as “Mastermashai” (Teacher), he played a significant role during the 2007 peasant movement in Singur area where a Tata Motors’ Nano car plant was under construction and was instrumental in forcing Tata out of Singur which helped TMC to win elections in the state.