A lion among the bhadralok

Then, a First Information Report FIR was lodged against one of Ghani8217;s brothers, sitting MLA Abu Hashem Chowdhury. The MLA had allegedly threatened to kill a journalist of a Bengali daily if the 8216;8216;smear8217;8217; campaign against Ghani over the bank dues was not stopped immediately.

Ghani8217;s sister, Rubee Noor, also a sitting MLA, teamed up with Abu Hashem to brief the Press about 8216;8216;a conspiracy to heckle Ghani Khan8217;8217;. They claimed that Ghani had never taken a bank loan. It was an employee of the house who took it, they said, the employee had since died and the loan liability had now fallen on Ghani. They said their family was willing to shoulder the burden of the loan but resented the manner in which the issue had been raked up on poll eve.

Meanwhile, Ghani8217;s estranged brother, Abu Nasser Chowdhury, who used to teach in England and has now settled in New Delhi, has been doing his bit to revive a 15-year-old family dispute. Ghani and Abu Hashem are on one side and Abu Nasser on the other.

And Abu Nasser is not just seeking judicial recourse. Speaking to The Indian Express, Abu Nasser said he was willing to take on Ghani on the electoral turf as well, provided he got a proper platform.

8216;8216;Nobody has approached me with such a proposal. But if anything comes by, I am willing to take the plunge,8217;8217; he said, adding that he was even willing to join hands with the BJP. 8216;8216;I don8217;t consider the BJP as untouchables. I just need a good party to back me up.8217;8217;

Looks like stormy days are ahead for the former Railway Minister, the grand old Congressman of Bengal politics. But as everyone knows, trouncing him in an election is next to impossible.