Babul Supriyo doesn’t want to campaign for Mamata Banerjee in bypoll

Banerjee is facing the polls as she lost to her protege-turned-adversary, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

A day after joining the Trinamool Congress (TMC), former Union minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday said he would not like to campaign for chief minister Mamata Banerjee for the September 30 assembly bypoll in Kolkata’s Bhawanipore.

Supriyo maintained that he would not say anything offensive against the BJP leaders who have targeted him since Saturday. (PTI)

Asked whether he would campaign against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate, lawyer Priyanka Tibrewal, Supriyo, said at a press conference that he will request the TMC leadership not to put him in an embarrassing situation.

“I know Priyanka’s family very well. She handled the cases filed against me. I found her to be a good lawyer. Mamata Banerjee does not need me to campaign for her. I will request the party not to put me in an embarrassing position,” Supriyo said in the presence of TMC Lok Sabha member Saugata Roy and the party’s leader in the Rajya Sabha, Derek O’Brien. The latter, said Supriyo, worked as a catalyst in his joining the TMC.

Reacting to Supriyo’s decision to stay away from campaigning in Bhawanipore, Tibrewal said, “A brother has responded to the wishes of his sister. Relationships come before politics.”

Banerjee is facing the polls as she lost to her protege-turned-adversary, BJP’s Suvendu Adhikari, at Nandigram in East Midnapore district.

Throughout the press conference, which was held at a hotel, Supriyo maintained that he would not say anything offensive against the BJP leaders who have targeted him since Saturday.

Asked whether he wants to see Banerjee topple the Narendra Modi government in 2024 and become the next prime minister, Supriyo said, “In 2014, Modi was the hope. The massive mandate people of Bengal ensured for her (in the recent assembly polls) has a great value. There is no doubt that Mamata Banerjee is in a great position. That is why she and leaders of other opposition parties are in touch with each other.”

“I want to see the most popular person as the PM and there is no doubt that Mamata Banerjee is one of them. There is no doubt that she will be at the top of the list of hopefuls,” he added.

Asked whether he felt bad that no BJP Lok Sabha member from Bengal was ever made a cabinet minister, Supriyo, who served as minister of state despite winning the Asansol seat twice since 2014, did not give a direct reply.

“The question has the answer,” he said.

“It is natural that the BJP will now call me a traitor. Even the TMC and CPI(M) called their leaders traitors after they switched sides. In reply to (BJP leader) Tathatagata Roy’s tweet, I wrote he has the right to disagree with someone’s decision but he must respect that person and his decision. I don’t want to make any unsavory comments,” said Supriyo.

“I am honoured to be a part of a team. What happens in future will unfold in time,” he said, ducking questions on whether he would like to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha seat recently vacated by TMC’s Arpita Ghosh.

He said he will go to Delhi on Wednesday and tender his resignation from the Asansol Lok Sabha seat.

“When I was in the BJP, I gave a lot to the BJP and worked for Bengal’s development,” Supriyo said.

“I always want a level playing field. Future will show what I will give to the TMC. People can write on Facebook whatever they want,” he added.

Asked about the allegations TMC national general secretary and the chief minister’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and he exchanged in recent years and also during the March-April state polls, Supriyo said, “Abhishek attacked me too. We will return to each other the boxes of letters we wrote. Just because I have changed parties does not mean the grammar of politics will change. I will not delete my old social media posts.”

“In politics, even the fiercest rival is not your enemy. I am not creating any history by changing parties. A lot of people are ridiculing me. I was aware that this would be coming,” said the singer-turned-politician. He said if the situation demands, he will meet BJP MPs from Bengal.

“Babul is welcome to our family. I have seen him in Parliament for seven years. I am a fan of his songs. His joining has enthused our workers. He is easily accepted by Bengalis. Mamata Banerjee will meet him tomorrow,” said Saugata Roy.

“In the next couple of months, I want to meet people in the districts. I will study the party’s structure and meet workers at the grassroots level,” Supriyo added.

While campaigning for Tibrewal in Bhawanipore, Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh said, “He is a political tourist. He left because he was not made a minister once again.”

Bengal BJP’s chief spokesperson Samik Bhattacharya described his party’s tryst with Supriyo as a “closed chapter.”