This is an archive article published on July 11, 2022
Babul appointed TMC national spokesperson, thanks Mamata and Abhishek
Sources in the TMC said the party will use Supriyo’s experience in national politics as Union minister of the first Narendra Modi Cabinet ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
4 min readKolkataUpdated: Jul 11, 2022 06:01 AM IST
Supriyo’s political journey began ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when the singer joined the BJP and was fielded by the party from Asansol seat. (File Photo)
Singer-turned politician Babul Supriyo, who recently joined Trinamool Congress, has been appointed the party’s national spokesperson.
In a tweet, the former BJP leader thanked TMC chief Mamata Banerjee and party MP Abhishek Banerjee. “My sincere gratitude to Hon’ble Didi MamataOfficial & @abhishekaitc for appointing/including me in the illustrious Team of National Spokespersons of @AITCofficial. Shall do my very best to live up to the responsibility entrusted upon me.”
Sources in the TMC said the party will use Supriyo’s experience in national politics as Union minister of the first Narendra Modi Cabinet ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
However, a section of party leaders also said that the former BJP MP was being rehabilitated after he was elected as a TMC MLA from Ballygunge constituency.nitially, there was a conflict between the young generation and old guards of the TMC over Supriyo joining the party. But the young leaders in the TMC backed Supriyo’s entry into the party.
“A section of minority leaders considers Supriyo a communal person and therefore there was no question to accept him as a TMC leader. However, the party leadership decided against it and allowed his entry into the party. So, now we have accepted him. But the party leadership also realised his limitations and he was thus not given any important post — like ministership in the state government. Since he deserved some sort of recognition in the party, the leadership decided to make him the party’s national spokesperson,” a senior TMC leader told The Indian Express.
Supriyo’s political journey began ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, when the singer joined the BJP and was fielded by the party from Asansol seat. He won the seat by defeating TMC candidate and trade union leader Dola Sen, and went on to become the one of the youngest ministers in Modi’s first term as prime minister. He served as Union Minister of State for Urban Development; Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation till 2016, and later became Minister of State for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Supriyo retained Asansol seat defeating TMC candidate and actress Moon Moon Sen.
In last year’s Assembly elections in West Bengal, BJP fielded the sitting MP from the Tollygunge constituency, where he lost to TMC’s Aroop Biswas by over 50,000 votes.
However, the BJP failed to unseat TMC from power in West Bengal and its state unit quickly fell into disarray. Amid this, Supriyo was asked to resign from the Modi cabinet following which he gradually started to distance himself from the party. He first announced to quit politics, but after some months he joined the TMC in presence of party’s second in command Abhishek Banerjee.
Supriyo’s political career is marked by several controversies. He faced a massive protest from a section of Jadavpur University students in 2019 after he went to the university to attend an event organised by ABVP, the RSS student wing. He courted a controversy during the Assembly elections last year when he allegedly slapped a man. In 2018, then a Union minister, he threatened to “break a man’s leg” during an event in his parliamentary constituency.
Atri Mitra is a highly accomplished Special Correspondent for The Indian Express, bringing over 20 years of experience to his reporting. His work is characterized by deep regional knowledge and a focus on critical administrative and political developments, establishing strong Expertise and Authority in his domain.
Experience
Current Role: Special Correspondent, The Indian Express.
Decades of Experience: Over two decades of extensive reporting experience, primarily covering administration and political news.
Geographical Focus: Holds significant reporting experience from West Bengal, Bihar, and the North-East, providing a comprehensive understanding of the socio-political landscape in these regions.
Key Coverage: Has dedicated more than ten years to covering administration and political news, with a keen focus on political developments in West Bengal.
Electoral Reporting: Demonstrated a commitment to crucial political moments, having covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections during his time at Anandabazar Patrika, and the 2019 Bihar Lok Sabha election while working with News18-Bangla.
Career Foundation: Began his career at the leading vernacular daily Anandabazar Patrika, where he worked for more than fifteen years, including a three-year stint as the Bihar correspondent.
Education
Advanced Degree: Holds a Master's degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University, providing an analytical framework for his political and administrative reporting.
Undergraduate Education: Holds a Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University.
Prestigious Alumni: His educational background includes attending esteemed institutions: he is an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur.
Atri Mitra's decades of dedicated reporting, substantial focus on political and administrative beats, and solid academic credentials make him a trusted and authoritative source for news and analysis from Eastern and North-Eastern India. ... Read More
