Under pressure after a slew of defections as TMC heavyweights shift en masse to the BJP, a rattled Mamata Banerjee is now resorting to what is fast becoming a hallmark of her legacy: vendetta politics.
After Rajib Banerjee, former TMC MLA and State Forest Minister, became the latest high profile functionary to dump the TMC for the BJP, Mamata is now threatening investigations against the defectors perhaps in order to dissuade the few remaining TMC leaders from ditching the party.
While addressing a gathering of TMC workers at Alipurduar in north Bengal, Mamata tried to put up a brave face as she stated that those who are not committed to the TMC can leave the party at the first opportunity available. She also claimed that the defectors who have joined the BJP will be defeated in the upcoming Assembly elections and their sops will be shut post polls.
She then proceeded to target Rajib Banerjee as she claimed that the person who had himself indulged in corruption is now lecturing others. Without explicitly naming Rajib, Mamata claimed that were irregularities in the recruitment of Bana Sahayaks which comes under the ambit of the Forest department and took place under Rajib’s tenure as the Forest Minister.
Mamata then stated that the TMC will investigate everything related to the recruitment of Bana Sahayaks.
Rajib Banerjee didn’t take Mamata’s allegations lying down and hit back at the West Bengal CM as he claimed that several TMC leaders attempted to pressurise him to recruit only TMC workers as ‘Bana Sahayaks’.
Rajib also claimed that he had informed the Chief Minister over the attempts made to pressurise him, however, no action was taken on the matter. He stated that to ensure transparent recruitment of Bana Sahayaks, he had handed the recruitment power to a board.
It is pertinent to note that Suvendhu Adhikari, perhaps aware of how the TMC operates, wrote a letter to the Bengal Governor after his resignation from the party, where he wrote about the possibility of vendetta politics being played out against him.
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In fact, top BJP leadership are facing numerous cases as part of vendetta politics. Let’s take the example of BJP MP Arjun Singh who had 0 cases against him when was in Trinamool but now has 99 cases against him.
Mamta Banerjee is increasingly behaving like an insecure Chief Minister who knows her grip on the state is loosening at a rapid pace as a rampant BJP is all set to breach her fortress.