In a tweet on 4 September, Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Jawahar Sarkar tried to quell the controversy surrounding his recent statement on corruption in the party.
“It is viral in Kolkata. Bengal knew it all – behind his bullying and bullying – is the real Pappu! @AITCofficial@abhishekaitc,” said the tweet along with a picture of Union Home Minister Amit Shah on the T-shirt. On September 2, after facing questions from the Enforcement Department for nearly six hours, Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had hit out at Shah and accused him of using investigative agencies against political opponents.
Mr Sarkar, who has been facing criticism from a section of his party for his remarks on corruption, used the tweet not only to target the Union Home Minister, but also to improve ties with the party. The bureaucrat-turned-politician’s recent remarks have led to at least two Trinamool MPs, Saugata Roy and Shantanu Sen, publicly demanding his resignation.
Speaking to a Bengali television news channel a few days ago, Mr. Sarkar said that his family wanted him to quit politics and that his friends had accused him of being part of the Trinamool after the arrest of former minister Partha Chatterjee in the School Service Commission recruitment. Made fun of him. scam.
Mr Sarkar was nominated to the Rajya Sabha by the Trinamool in 2021. While nominating the former CEO of Prasar Bharati, West Bengal’s ruling party had insisted on “42 years in public service” and the same was mentioned by MPs, criticizing Mr Sarkar. His career in bureaucracy. Dum Dum Lok Sabha MP Saugata Roy made a broad statement saying “bureaucrats are opportunists”.
Defending his remarks and opposing BJP’s Amit Malviya’s attacks, Mr Sarkar wrote on Twitter on August 30, “I spoke against corruption in all parties including TMC and BJP. At @AITCofficial (TMC), I could have aired my views – would anyone in the BJP talk of a rotten nexus between the BJP and the Big Duo of big business.
The issue of the Rajya Sabha MP’s remarks seems to be stalling, but it has raised big questions about the voices of dissent within the Trinamool. Even academics and bureaucrats who joined the Trinamool in the past had differing views on complex issues like corruption.
At a time when the Trinamool itself seems to be embroiled in the issue of corruption – it has removed Mr Chatterjee from ministerial berths but shied away from taking action against Anubrata Mondal who is behind bars – any allegations of corruption from party MPs Mention bound to draw flak.
Mr. Sarkar is popular among the cultural venues of the city and his lectures and debates attract a large number of visitors. However, he may have bitten off more than he could chew from his thoughts on corruption.