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Journalism of Courage
THE Lok Sabha election in Tamluk constituency in Purba Medinipur district is two months away (May 25), but on Wednesday, as BJP candidate Abhijit Gangopadhyay came to offer prayers at a Kali Mandir in Mahishadal area, he didn’t want for a crowd.
The former Calcutta High Court judge who resigned, joined the BJP and got a ticket, all within days, has swapped his black gown for the unofficial uniform of his new role – a white kurta-pajama with a jacket – with equal ease.
Detractors would say Gangopadhyay has been readying for this transition for long, with his interventions in court often seen as hewing close to the BJP’s anti-corruption campaign against the ruling Trinamool Congress, and inviting attacks by the latter. If those questions pertaining to his judicial career, or the propriety of his making the jump to politics, still hang over the former judge, there are few signs of it this hot Wednesday.As the 61-year-old steps out of his vehicle to enter the temple, a group of supporters comprising mostly women shower him with floral petals, blow conch shells and jostle to take selfies with the “anti-corruption hero”. During his rounds of the constituency, he is stopped several times by people seeking to shake hands or to garland him.
Obliging everyone and revelling in the spotlight, Gangopadhyay tells The Indian Express: “This initial response indicates that the other candidates in the seat will forfeit their deposits… Even ordinary people and bystanders are coming to meet us. There is a zeal to bring about a change in Bengal. I feel that the foundation to end corruption in the state will be laid in these Lok Sabha polls.”
Tamluk is considered a safe seat for Gangopadhyay, being the backyard of Suvendu Adhikari, a former TMC leader who is now the BJP’s main Bengal face and Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.
The TMC candidate is its youth leader Debangshu Bhattacharya, credited with coining the party’s hit slogan “Khela hobe” during the 2021 Assembly polls.
The Congress and Left dominated Tamluk before 2009, when Adhikari, then a TMC leader, won the Lok Sabha seat defeating CPI(M) strongman Lakhsman Seth. In the 2014 Lok Sabha polls, Adhikari retained the seat.
In 2016, he resigned to contest the state Assembly polls from Nandigram, which falls within the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat, and after winning, was made a minister in the Mamata Banerjee Cabinet. The Tamluk bypoll that followed was won by Adhikari’s younger brother Dibyendu, who won it for the TMC by a margin of almost 5 lakh votes.
In 2019, Dibyendu retained the seat. While Adhikari defected to the BJP ahead of the 2021 state Assembly polls, along with a large number of party leaders and workers of Purba Medinipur district, Dibyendu remained on the TMC rolls – at least on paper. The TMC’s appeals to have Dibyendu and his father Sisir Adhikari (the party MP from Kanthi, also in Purba Medinipur) disqualified for “anti-party activities” remained pending.
While neither Dibyendu nor Sisir has got the BJP ticket this time, another brother of Adhikari, Soumendu, has been fielded by the party from Kanthi.
In the case of Gangopadhyay, the BJP believes that apart from the Adhikari factor, his well-publicised spats with the TMC will help the party in Tamluk.
Gangopadhyay says that as a member of the legal fraternity, he always took up “the cause of the people”, both when he was a lawyer and after becoming a permanent judge in 2018. “I cannot forget my past. Therefore, I have no issue transitioning from the courtroom to the streets. My fight against corruption will go on.”
He joined the BJP as it is “the only party which can oust the TMC from Bengal and end the corrupt practices which have crippled the state for years”, he adds.
TMC spokesperson Arup Chakraborty dismisses Gangopadhyay’s candidature. “The BJP has no base in West Bengal and has therefore brought in people from different walks of life to contest the Lok Sabha polls. Justice Gangopadhyay always had intentions to join the BJP and his court orders and comments against our leaders were indicative of this.”
It’s only in the last two years of his judicial career that Gangopadhyay’s court came to be seen as the TMC’s nemesis, with the judge passing orders directing several probes which eventually led to top TMC leaders landing behind bars.
One of his orders, terminating the appointment of more than 32,000 teachers while directing a CBI and Enforcement Directorate (ED) probe into an alleged school jobs scam, was later stayed by a Division Bench of the Calcutta High Court.
On the campaign trail, Gangopadhyay makes all the right moves, sprinkling his temple visits with breaks to pay floral tributes to the statues of Mahatma Gandhi, Bengali social reformer Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar, and freedom fighter Khudiram Bose, as well as a trip to a local dargah.
About the dargah visit, Gangopadhyay says: “A misconception has been created that the BJP is against Muslims. When our party’s stand is Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, can any religion be left out? The BJP stands for development of all. I have visited multiple temples and places of worship in my constituency… People want unity and peace… We have to address issues such as joblessness, corruption in recruitment processes and migration of youths to other states.”
Bimal Sarkar, a grocery store owner in Mahishadal, says he believes Gangopadhyay did remarkable work as a judge, particularly against corruption. “He has given hope to candidates who are hopeful of jobs and have been protesting,” says the 42-year-old.
At the same time, the former judge has also strayed into contentious territory. Speaking to Bengali news channel AajTak Bangla recently, he said: “As someone from the legal profession, I must try and understand the other side of the story. I must read his (Godse’s) writings and understand what triggered him to kill Mahatma Gandhi. Until then, I cannot choose between Gandhi and Godse.”
Attacking Gangopadhyay over the remark, the Congress demanded that the BJP drop him as a candidate.
On Thursday, he courted another controversy when, speaking to Banga TV channel, he said: “Mamata Bandyopadhyay er mone hoche, mrityu ghonta beje geche (It seems that the death knell for Mamata Banerjee has been sounded).” The TMC accused him of practising “the lowest form of gutter politics”.
An unfazed Gangopadhyay says the TMC’s “decline” now includes Nandigram, which was the site of a land agitation led by Mamata and was a big factor in her ascent to power. “People of Nandigram made a mistake in supporting the ruling party all these years. They taught the TMC a lesson in 2021 (when Mamata lost to Suvendu Adhikari, the BJP’s candidate, from the Assembly seat). This time they will again ensure that the TMC does not win.”
