Chief Minister of West Bengal and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee has long been accused of using her political clout to settle personal scores. The accusations levied from the opposition usually are fended off by Mamata by calling them a hit job from the Communists and the BJP, but the defence won’t work this time for the accusations have come from a former close aide and her long time confidante, ex-IPS officer Bharati Ghosh. In an exclusive interview given to India Today Bharati Ghosh has accused Mamata Banerjee of trapping her in a false case. Bharati has also alleged that the false cases she had been trapped in were done at the behest of Mamata to stop her from revealing the wrongdoings of Mamata and TMC. Mamata Banerjee and Bharati Ghosh had been one time close aides and had worked in tandem to wipe out Maoists and Mamata’s opposition from areas like Purulia, Bankura and West Midnapore in West Bengal. The two had been so close at one point that Mamata in her public rallies would refer to the then SP as ‘bhalo meye’ (good girl), which was reciprocated by Bharati calling Mamata “Mother of Jangal Mahal”.
The tale of Bharati Ghosh and her breakaway from Mamata, which seems now to have reached the tipping point, is full of politics and bureaucracy helping each other before the relations turns sour and one time friends become bitter enemies baying for each other’s blood. Bharati Ghosh when she came to Bengal as an officer of the state CID, had already been a Harvard management student and had also served in the United Nations peacekeeping missions for years in places like Kosovo and Bosnia. Mamata took an instant liking to the woman IPS officer and she was made SP of West Midnapore. Bharati delivered and how, she managed to wipe out Maoist influence by using both guns and political and monetary privileges as weapons. For her overt closeness with Mamata and Mukul Roy during the 2014 and 2016 Assembly elections, the Election Commission had even warned Bharati Ghosh for meeting politicians while the model code of conduct had kicked in.
The rift between Mamata and Bharati Ghosh started with Mukul Roy joining BJP, Bharati who was considered close to Mukul Roy was accused by Mamata and her allies of helping Mukul Roy and BJP in the Sabang by-elections. Though TMC managed to win the seat by a comfortable margin, the BJP had been successful in increasing their vote share by 17 per cent. This was enough to irk off Mamata and Bharati was immediately transferred to a post without power as an officer of State Armed Police in Barrackpore. Not ready to accept the treatment, Bharati resigned. But not without first threatening to reveal the nitty-gritty’s of Mamata’s politics to the public. That is when Mamata embroiled her in a case alleging her of extortion and cheating, putting the CID behind her. Bharati Ghosh in the interview given to India Today has said that the people who have filed the case against her include, a rape accused, a TMC politician and others who were directed to file the case on Mamata’s behalf.
Bharati Ghosh in the latest interview has laid bare how Mamata Banerjee had started the ongoing witch-hunt against her, her only fault was that she did not let TMC cadres use violence and other illegal means in elections. Her accusations lay bare the vengeful politics of TMC and also hint towards how politicians like Mamata misuse power to wipe off opposition. Bharati Ghosh is an example of vendetta politics which Mamata has perfected.