© The Indian Express Pvt Ltd
Tags:
Journalism of Courage
Days after Murshidabad in West Bengal was rocked by communal violence, the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC)’s Baharampur MP Yusuf Pathan has landed in a spot as the Opposition, several local people, and even a TMC section have increasingly targeted him over his absence from the district amid the current turmoil.
Baharampur is one of the three Lok Sabha constituencies in Murshidabad district, with the other two seats, Jangipur and Murshidabad, also held by the TMC.
On April 12, a day after protests against the Waqf Amendment Act turned violent in various areas in Murshidabad including Samserganj, Dhulian and Suti – which fall under the Jangipur parliamentary constituency – Pathan posted pictures of him sipping tea on Instagram with the caption: “Easy afternoons, good chai and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment”.
This sparked an uproar, with the 42-year-old cricketer-turned-politician coming under attack from the principal Opposition BJP and other quarters, who questioned his post when the district was convulsed by violence which claimed three lives. The police have arrested over 270 people in this connection so far.
According to several locals, Pathan was last seen in Baharampur before Eid which was celebrated on March 31. During the month of Ramzan, he was said to have participated in some Iftar parties organised by the TMC in Murshidabad. Many voices held that his presence in the district and his message of calm to youths would have facilitated in the efforts to restore peace and normalcy in the district.
His absence has triggered discontent among a slew of TMC leaders and activists. The ruling party has held several peace meetings in the riot-affected areas, which have been attended by its two other district MPs – Murshidabad MP Abu Taher Khan and Jangipur MP Khalilur Rehman – besides the local party MLAs.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Abu Taher said, “He (Yusuf Pathan) is an outsider and is new to politics. He chose to stay away so far. But this gives a wrong message to the people. Our MPs, MLAs and even booth workers are on the ground, reaching out to people.”
He also said, “There was a peace meeting in Samserganj. I travelled 100 kms to reach there. Khalilur Rehman as well as a number of TMC MLAs were present there. But he was absent. One cannot say it’s not my area and it’s not my people and that’s why I won’t go.”
Hitting out at Pathan, the TMC MLA from Bharatpur Humayun Kabir told the Express, “He is a renowned cricketer who lives in Gujarat. He defeated (Congress leader) Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the Lok Sabha elections by peoples’ votes. This gentleman is now playing games with voters. He is behaving as per his whims and fancy.”
Kabir also said, “It has almost been a year since Yusuf Pathan became an MP. If he doesn’t change his behaviour and try to reach out to the people, I will approach our party top brass against him. I would try to ensure that next time he doesn’t get a party ticket. He is not a part of the development initiatives of Mamata Banerjee and he is also not standing by the people in the time of such a crisis.”
The principal Opposition BJP has kept its guns trained on Pathan over his absence from the strife-torn district.The party’s Baharampur unit chief Moloy Mahajan said, “The Lok Sabha poll was like an IPL event for Pathan. He won the election and the match is over. Why should he come to his constituency now? We knew this would happen. He never intended to stay here. People who voted for him should ask questions and they are questioning him.”
The Indian Express tried to reach Pathan for comment, but there was no response from him.
The TMC has, however, officially defended Pathan, highlighting that the violence-affected areas are not part of his constituency. The party’s Murshidabad district president Apurba Sarkar said, “The incident happened outside Baharampur. If anything happens anywhere, is Pathan supposed to go there? The Opposition is spreading this against him. We are all working in our areas, holding booth workers’ meetings. We want our workers to reach out to the people and tell them that the TMC is opposed to the Wakf Amendment Act and that we voted against it in Parliament.”
Making his electoral debut on the TMC ticket in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, Pathan pulled off a stunning upset as he trounced Congress heavyweight and five-time Baharampur MP Adhir Chowdhury by 85,022 votes.
A hoarding of Pathan adorns the TMC office at the textile college crossing in Baharampur town.
“Adhir Chowdury had a different image and was the MP for a long time. But Yusuf Pathan was liked by youngsters and he won. It would be better if the MP remains in his constituency with the people. But Pathan is seldom seen here,” says Arya Sen Gupta, 26, who runs an app-based motorbike service at the Girja crossing in Baharampur town.
Shahnaz Qazi, 40, who runs a paan stall at Talbaganpara in the town, said, “Before voting in the next election, I will first see whether a candidate is a local face or not. In the current fraught situation, people want to see their MP, who was a popular cricketer on the ground.”
