Mamata’s Supercops

Upen Biswas was a candidate in the third phase on Wednesday; Abani Das’s constituency had voted in the second phase last week; the fourth phase on May 3 includes the polls in the seats given to Rachpal Singh,Sultan Singh and H A Swafi.

During the political violence that followed the Lok Sabha polls,they had formed the core of a team that ran a sort of “Trinamool Congress control room” to devise strategies. Since the current election was declared,they were on duty for 10 hours or more everyday in the control room. Mamata’s personal safety is part of their brief as security advisers.

Trinamool Congress insiders say roping in top cops is part of a strategy by Mamata to ¿uncover the government’s misdeeds¿. All five contestants had served the Left Front,though Biswas went on to spend most of his career with the CBI. The other four were,in fact,were believed to be close to the Left till they joined the Opposition one by one.

“These officers can help provide access to information about the government’s misdeeds of 34 years,and details about administration and policing,since the police are alleged to have been partisan,” a leader says. And one of the five “IPS nominees” says,“Didi has told us several times that if she wins she will have commissions on all government-sponsored massacres in the state.”

The trend of top cops turning Trinamool members had kicked off with Choudhury Mohan Jatua,who became an MLA in 2001 and an MP in 2009. He is now Union Minister of State,Information and Broadcasting.

This time,the insiders say,retired IPS officers other than the five nominated had been in queue but Mamata limited her tickets because she did not want to deprive too many of her party’s dedicated leaders.

Rachpal Singh,who retired as IG (Forests) in 2004,had worked closely with Mamata when she was Railway Minister in the NDA government. “I was chief security commissioner of Eastern Railway and formed a 60-member railway commando force in Eastern Railway. This impressed Mamata Banerjee and she asked me to set up commando forces in all divisions in the railways,” he says.

“After I retired,she asked me to join politics several times. I kept myself out of politics initially. But during the Singur agitation,I saw how the state government was forcibly acquiring villagers’ land,” says Rachpal Singh,who joined the party then.

Rachpal Singh is contesting in Tarakeswar,Hooghly,against Fire Services Minister Pratim Chatterjee. He says voters have told him that “CPM goons” snatch their identity cards during every election and cast votes in their names. The Election Commission has been informed,he says.

Sultan Singh,who retired as ADG (Pollution Control) in 2004,was with the Congress when he contested the parliamentary election,unsuccessfully,from Howrah that year. In 2008,he joined the Trinamool Congress. Mamata offered him a parliamentary seat the next year “but I refused as I had had a bad experience”.

“In these last few years,I have watched the political situation and after I was offered an MLA seat,I agreed,” says Sultan Singh,contesting from the CPM stronghold of Bali,Howrah. “I will do whatever work is assigned by Mamata Banerjee,” he says.

H A Swafi,former DGP,too is contesting in Howrah district,from Uluberia.