Writer Manoranjan Byapari quits TMC posts claiming cash-for-panchayat tickets, party fears fresh corruption taint

Byapari told The Indian Express: “I was not happy with the candidate selection for panchayat elections. Therefore, I decided to leave the party posts. This kind of politics is not for a person like me.”

The decision came days after a section of the TMC leadership in Hooghly district accused the MLA of allotting panchayat tickets to party workers in exchange for money. Byapari, who denied these allegations, on Sunday accused TMC Balagarh block president Nabin Gangopadhyay of taking cash for tickets. He also threatened to resign from his party posts if the allegations against him were proven true.

His resignation has followed without any further development on the allegations. Sources close to him said that most of the candidates he chose were not considered by the state party leadership.

The development comes as a setback for the TMC ahead of the panchayat polls, as it is already under pressure over widespread violence in the run-up to the elections, and fighting off corruption charges.

The BJP was quick to slam the TMC. Senior BJP leader Rahul Sinha said, “There are several MLAs in the TMC who are unhappy with the way the party is functioning, but can’t say it in public out of fear that if they open their mouths, they will face attacks from goons or be implicated in false cases. It Is clear that the TMC has become a party that knows nothing but corruption. He [Byapari] is also saying that a person like him cannot remain in the TMC. Good sense has prevailed, and we thank him for speaking his mind. More such leaders will open their mouths against the TMC in the days to come.”

Senior CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “Manoranjan Byapari is a writer who likes to think freely and take independent decisions. Those who think freely can’t remain with the TMC. He has understood this now. Byapari has accused the party of giving tickets in exchange for money. Many have said this as well. The TMC only has the support of the state police to win the elections. This is the beginning of the end for this party.”

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen said Byapari should have raised the issue at the party’s internal forum before announcing his decision. “We cannot answer why he has taken such a decision. Instead of saying this in public, I think he should have raised the matter before the state leadership. He has chosen otherwise and we have nothing to say about it. The party is fully focused on panchayat elections and all our efforts are currently devoted to winning these,” said Sen.

Who is Manoranjan Byapari?

A writer and socio-political activist turned politician, Byapari is considered among the few writers of Dalit literature in Bengali from West Bengal. Though he never had any formal education, and once pulled a rickshaw and served time in prison, Byapari has penned a dozen novels and over a hundred short stories, apart from non-fiction essays, and has won several awards.

Byapari was born into a Namasudra family at Barisal in Bangladesh. His family migrated to West Bengal when he was three. At the age of 14, Byapari left his home and did a number of odd jobs in cities like Guwahati, Lucknow, Delhi and Allahabad. After spending two years in Dandakaranya, he shifted to Kolkata in 1973. It was during his prison term on allegations of having Naxal links that he taught himself to read. He was closely associated with the famous labour activist Shankar Guha Niyogi.

He came to prominence with the publication of his influential essay Is there Dalit writing in Bangla?, translated by Meenakshi Mukherjee, in the journal Economic and Political Weekly. While working as a rickshaw puller, he had a chance meeting with noted Bengali writer Mahasweta Devi and she asked him to write for her ‘Bartika’ journal.