‘Never took a single penny’: TMC ex-minister Ashish Banerjee found dead at party office

Ashish’s brother Prasanta Banerjee said the former MLA was talking to him and acquaintances until nearly midnight on Saturday. “Even last night we were sitting and chatting together. It was impossible to tell that he would do such a thing. All of us at home sat and talked until midnight. Then he got up himself to eat and closed the door. This morning I heard the news. I just can’t believe it,” Prasanta said.

A five-time former MLA for Rampurhat, Ashish had also served as the school education minister and agriculture minister. He was the deputy speaker in the previous Assembly and lost the 2026 election to the BJP.

TMC leader Asish Banerjee’s funeral at Rampurhat in West Bengal’s Birbhum, Sunday. (PTI)

‘All of the party’s wrongdoings…’

A relative told The Indian Express that Ashish’s “suicide note” stated that he was not involved in any corruption, specifically ruling out any role in the alleged irregularities in the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA).

“I condemn everything that was done to malign me,” a relative quoted Ashish as having written in the purported suicide note. “Although I could not accept all of the party’s wrongdoings throughout my life, I could not protest either. I never took a single penny in exchange for any work in my entire life,” the former MLA added.

“At the end, Ashish wrote that no one was responsible for his death. He did not mention anyone involved in politics. Nor did he make direct allegations against anyone or reveal who tried to humiliate him,” said the relative.

Ashis is also said to have written that he had realised that entering politics was a mistake and advised his family members against doing so. He then named his family members one by one and urged them to stay calm, according to the relative.

Shock and condolences

When Anubrata Mondal was the TMC’s Birbhum district president, Ashish was his associate, though he had limited opportunities to rise in district politics due to Anubrata’s influence. “I am shocked. I don’t know why and under what circumstances he took such an extreme step,” Anubrata said.

Dhruba Saha, who defeated Ashish in his last election, expressed condolences. “This is a tragic and deeply painful incident. The people of Rampurhat voted for the BJP this time, and after my victory, I visited his home to seek his blessings. I never thought he could do this. Whether the reason was family-related or political, the truth must come to light, and those responsible should be investigated,” the BJP MLA said.

Birbhum MP Asit Mal, a TMC leader who defected to the NCPI after the elections, expressed deep grief over Ashish’s passing: “I can’t even imagine it. It feels like everything is destroyed. If he had any grievances, they should be investigated. If a person like him had lived, he could have guided people forward through his words and actions, even outside of politics.”

Local TMC leader Tridib Bhattacharya said, “I cannot process that such a political figure has departed like this… Apart from helping people, he never harmed anyone in his life. His political integrity is unquestionable. Even a thousand enemies could not raise a question about it.”

Minister Agnimitra Paul said Ashish’s death called for an investigation and appeared to doubt whether the TMC leader himself wrote the purported suicide note.

“Whether it was suicide or murder, the police will investigate that. And just because it is said that he wrote a letter before leaving, it isn’t necessary to believe that the letter was actually written by him… But if it is a suicide, and what is written—’I am being insulted, it would have been better not to enter politics’—causes me immense pain. This gives me sorrow. And even today I will say that not all of Trinamool is bad. Maybe a slight 0.00001% of good people are still in it, those who couldn’t speak up, who couldn’t protest.”

Minister Shankar Ghosh recalled that as the deputy Sspeaker and the chairman of the Privileges Committee, Ashish’s conduct “was exceptionally good”. “He was soft-spoken, he never spoke in a raised voice. I admire such people. He used to come to our Assembly wearing a dhoti-panjabi. He was also a professor, and his vast knowledge was always evident in his speech,” Ghosh said.

Ghosh further said that Ashish’s purported statement that entering politics was a mistake, “coming from a five-time MLA, is not a good sign for politics”.

TMC MP Samirul Islam described Ashish as “the most honest and highly educated person in Birbhum” and demanded that an “investigation should be held on the basis of the suicide note”.