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'Clear gimmick': TMC says not giving any importance to Babul Supriyo
In a surprising development, the former Union minister and BJP MP announced on Saturday he was quitting politics.
Former Union minister and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Babul Supriyo may have announced his departure from politics, but West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) dismissed Supriyo’s announcement as a “gimmick,” with party general secretary Kunal Ghosh remarking it is not giving "any importance" to the singer-turned-politician.
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“We’re not giving any importance to Babul Supriyo. It’s a clear gimmick. Lok Sabha is in session, he should tender his resignation to the Speaker. However, he is using Facebook only to attract the attention of his Delhi leaders as now he is a dissident leader,” Ghosh told news agency ANI.
Supriyo, who, through a Facebook post on Saturday, announced his decision to leave politics, initially mentioned he won’t be joining any political party. However, within hours, the Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Asansol edited his post, deleting from it the “not joining any party” part, in which he specifically named the TMC, Congress and CPI(M). “I can confirm that no one has called me and neither I am going anywhere. I am a one-team player. Have only always supported one team Mohun Bagan, have supported only BJP. That’s it!!,” a rough translation of Supriyo’s original post, made in Bengali, read.
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Saturday’s announcement brings to an end an eventful last few months for the former minister who was dropped from the Union council of ministers in a major reshuffle which took place on July 7. The two-term parliamentarian from Asansol, who resigned as an MP as well, was also at the losing end in the West Bengal assembly elections, where he was among several MPs fielded by the BJP against a Mamata Banerjee-led TMC. In recent days, there have also been reports of issues between state BJP chief Dilip Ghosh and Supriyo.
