Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has had her share of firefighting when it comes to her nephew and anointed successor, Abhishek Banerjee. But there can be only so much family one can take.
A chastened Babun soon after issued a statement saying he would always remain with “Didi”.
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The provocation was Babun’s open opposition to the TMC’s newly declared candidate for the Howrah Lok Sabha seat, Prasun Banerjee. TMC sources said Babun hoped to get the ticket from Howrah.
Babun issued the statement sitting in Delhi, which triggered rumours that he might be exploring “options”. Babun said he was not happy with the TMC’s selection of Prasun, a former footballer and two-time Lok Sabha MP from Howrah, for the constituency. “He is not the right choice. There were many capable candidates who were overlooked,” he said.
What perhaps triggered Mamata’s outburst was what Babun said next. Noting that he is a registered voter at Howrah, Babun said: “I know Didi (Mamata Banerjee) will not agree with me. But, if needed, I will contest as an Independent from Howrah.”
Addressing the rally in Siliguri, Mamata reacted soon after. “Babun is no longer my brother. Today onwards, I snap all ties with him,” she said, adding that her family was also distancing itself from him. “He has forgotten how the family raised him after our father passed away. He was merely two-and-a-half years old, and I was earning Rs 35 and raised him,” she said.
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In an almost immediate U-turn, Babun first underlined that there was no truth to news that he might join the BJP. “I will always remain with #MamataBanerjee. What Didi said is right. I will always be with Didi,” he posted.
The youngest among the seven Banerjee siblings – five brothers and two sisters – Babun, who is in his mid-50s, was an unknown face before Mamata became CM for the first time in 2011. Under her rule, he gradually emerged as a familiar face in the Kolkata grounds and the sports arena of Bengal. Currently, Babun is vice-president of the Mohun Bagan Football Club and president of the West Bengal chapter of the Indian Olympic Association.
There has been talk of him having political designs from Howrah district ever since he recently transferred his voter ID there from Kolkata.
A senior TMC leader said: “We thought he would be selected as a candidate for the Howrah Municipal Corporation elections. However, the elections to the corporation are stalled due to the delimitation Bill being under the consideration of the Governor for more than four years. Probably, Babun thought he may be chosen as the party’s Howrah candidate instead. When Prasun got the ticket, he was furious.”
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The TMC leader added that he was not surprised that the Babun buzz was no more than a storm in a teapot. “He has no other image than being the brother of Mamata Banerjee. So, after the revolt, he backtracked.”
Apart from Mamata and her nephew Abhishek (son of her brother Amit Banerjee), one of her sister-in-laws, Kajari, is a Kolkata Municipal Corporation Councillor. Another brother, Kartik Banerjee, is in politics, but not in a very prominent post.
Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, Abhishek, who is the TMC national general secretary, has been stepping on many toes in the party by seeking an age limit for politics – suggesting that the veterans give way.
Asked about the Banerjee family fight, BJP leader Samik Bhattacharya said, “This is nothing but family melodrama. People have no interest in it. The BJP also has no interest. When a dynasty is about to end, this type of incident happens. The BJP is not going through such a bad time that it needs to break Mamata Banerjee’s family.”
4 min read
