Popular Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Madan Mitra has been hurriedly made chairman of a state government committe amid rumours about his state of dejection in the party.
West Bengal government’s transport ministry on Wednesday issued a notice that it has created a committee to ensure that officials of the transport department receive all benefits of ‘Swasthya Sathi (Free mediclaim by West Bengal govt) and other schemes. Mitra was made the chairman of this committee.
Even though the former Transport and Sports Minister of West Bengal clarified that he didn’t mean anything with “pack up”, reports in Bengali media suggest that the party’s decision to give Mitra the chairmanship of the new committee was to avoid revolt from another senior leader.
At a time when several TMC leaders have revolted against the party, Mitra, too, had raised eyebrows when he had written “pack up” on his social media timelines. Many felt the once- heavyweight leader was expressing his despair after remaining in the sideline for long.
Like many of his party colleagues, Mitra had attacked Prashant Kishor, whose political consultancy firm I-PAC has been roped in by TMC as its campaign manager for the 2021 polls.
Venting disappointment, Mitra said, “I’ve heard Prashant Kishor is our party’s strategy maker. So will PK now teach me how to win hearts of Kamarahati’s (Mitra’s constituency in 2011 Assembly election) citizens? Sorry, that’s not possible.”
Amid TMC’s struggle to keep Suvendu Adhikari in te party, several other leaders have spoken against the method of Kishor as well. Former South Coochbehar MLA Mihir Goswami has already defected to BJP after expressing his disenchantment with the election strategist.
Barrackpore MLA Shilbhadra Dutta and Shibpur legislator Jatu Lahir have also joined the tirade against Kishore inside the West Bengal’s governing party.