Kolkata: More than a decade has passed and yet, a book released by a former civil servant-turned-legislator in 2012 continues to haunt West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her party, the Trinamool Congress (TMC).
Book, ‘Mamta Banerjee as I know her‘, written by former IAS officer and two-time MLA Deepak Kumar Ghosh, who has submitted several Right to Information (RTI) applications, news clippings and copies of official correspondence to corroborate the claims made about the TMC supremo. It was pasted.
The book resurfaced last week amid a heated debate between the Congress and the TMC. At the center of this exchange was Bengal Congress spokesperson Kaustav Bagchi who cited the book to counter the Trinamool government during a TV news debate. Bagchi was arrested for making “derogatory remarks” against the CM, but was released on bail the same day.
However, this was not the first time that Deepak Kumar Ghosh’s book was cited by Mamata’s political opponents to target the chief minister thrice. In the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and then candidate from Kolkata South Tathagata Roy, rake up The same book in response to Mamata’s remarks against the then prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi during the campaign.
On the claims made in the book, TMC spokesperson Jai Prakash Majumdar told ThePrint on Tuesday that it lacked credible evidence and was written with an intention to defame. He asserted, “The West Bengal government believes in freedom of expression and hence the book has not been banned as the claims made in it are baseless.”
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Claims Ghosh makes about Mamata
Although Ghosh has made allegations against Mamata personally, the allegations made in the book are baseless, except for quotes from news clippings and RTI applications filed by the author.
As an IAS officer, Ghosh was part of the West Bengal administration for 37 years before his two-year stint with the Congress, followed by a 13-year stint with the TMC. In his 21-chapter book, he wrote about his association with Mamata, her personal life and her working style and policies as a Union minister and later as Chief Minister of West Bengal.
Ghosh claims TMC chief was chewing chocolate and sandwich during his 25 day hunger strike In 2006 to protest against the ‘forcible’ land acquisition in Singur for the Tata Nano plant.
What did Mamta do in fasting for so many record days? During first 2/3 days she took little lemon water, glucose water etc. But, after Sonali (former TMC MLA Sonali Guha) disappeared from view, he would get 4/5 Chicken/Paneer Sandwich and Fish Fingers, brought secretly by his PA Gautam Basu – Poor fellow died in 2008 Jhotala attended dinner with Derek O’Brien from the Dalhousie Institute,” he writes.
Ghosh also accused him of taking undue advantage of the Home Department portfolio in 2012.
He writes, “When he had a nephew Arrested For beating up a traffic police officer, cabinet minister Firhad Hakim ordered the immediate release of the chief minister’s nephew. Later, when the press and TV channels became very active, he was arrested again. Such bailable sections of the IPC were cited by the police that the judicial magistrate had to release them on bail the same day.
In another instance, Ghosh claims that Mamata “did not consider merit, experience and party loyalty” and “acted in a whimsical manner” while forming her first cabinet in 2011.
“For example, how can the government send an official letter to Bankura MLA late Kashinath Mishra. They went to Raj Bhavan. But, at the last moment, he was told that Shyampad Mukherjee of Bishnupur has been made a minister in his place. Kashi Baboo He was a senior legislator. He had joined the party in the beginning itself. Kashi Baboo Broke down talking to this author,” writes Ghosh.
Ghosh also recalls the time when he contested the assembly elections in 2006 on a TMC ticket from the coveted Jadavpur seat, but lost to former CM and CPI(M) veteran Buddhadeb Bhattacharya. According to Ghosh, he wanted to quit politics and discussed it with Mamata, who asked him to stay with the party and again contest the 2009 Lok Sabha elections from Jadavpur.
However, Ghosh claims that the party dumped him in 2009 and fielded Kabir Suman from Jadavpur. “She (Mamata) betrayed him (the author of the book) after Singur and Nandigram when Kabir Suman became too close to her with his guitar and soul-stirring songs and her erstwhile well-wishers like Mahashweta Devi refused to give Suman Was strongly recommended for Jadavpur seat,” he writes.
‘If I start distributing this book…’
“I will give the chief minister’s sleep,” quipped 32-year-old lawyer Kaustav Bagchi as he walked out of Kolkata’s Bankshall Court after being granted conditional bail on Saturday evening. I will shave my head and will not grow hair until I remove the Chief Minister.
Nine hours ago, a team of Kolkata Police descended on the Barrackpore residence in connection with the complaint filed by TMC supporter Sumit Singh against the Congress spokesperson at Bartola police station. In his statement, the complainant accused Bagchi of making “derogatory remarks” against Mamata during a TV news debate.
Bagchi was booked under Sections 120B (criminal conspiracy), 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (act which incites any person to commit an offense against the State or the public) induces) a case was registered under. Tranquility), 506 (criminal intimidation), 509 (insulting woman) and 354A (sexual harassment) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Bagchi’s remarks were in response to a statement made by Mamata shortly after TMC lost Sagardighi seat Congress in the by-election
Reacting to West Bengal Congress chief Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury’s statements that her party had won the seat the Trinamool was winning since 2011, Mamata had said on March 2, “He (Chowdhary) is making big statements today. If I ask him about his daughter’s suicide, will he be able to answer?”
Bagchi, when asked to comment on Banerjee’s remarks during a TV news debate, referred to Ghosh’s booklet on the TMC chief’s life. “If I start distributing this book in the mohallas, Mamata Banerjee will not be able to show her face at home. Her personal life, her life before marriage, how low she can stoop will be clear to the people of Bengal,” the Congress spokesperson had said.
(Editing by Amritansh Arora)