In a development that might prick the conscience of the Parivartan voters who brought the much desired political change in Bengal in 2009, the ruling Trinamool Congress has entrusted many a politicians with criminal records with poll campaign charge.
Arabul Islam, a former Trinamool MlA of Bhangore segment of Jadavpur Parliamentary constituency in South 24 Parganas, from where Prof Sugato Bose the grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose is contesting on a Trinamool ticket is one such neta in question.
Arabul often referred to as the Raja Bhayia of South 24 Parganas is a high-school dropout and has several criminal cases including assault on a woman lecturer of a college of which he is the governing body president and assaulting former State Minister Abdul Rezzak Mollah running against his name.
Another such strongman from the same district is Md Munna Iqbal or Munna Bhai who led a band of gangsters one of whom shot dead a police sub-inspector in a college election in Kollata’s Metiabruz area more than a year ago.
According to State Minister Firhad Hakim, Munna Bhai has been entrusted with the poll campaign because the allegations against him have yet not been proved. “He is just an accused and not a convict so there is no harm in inducting him.” Munna who went underground after the murder was later apprehended from Bihar and was in jail for months before being released on bail.
A third person Ashis Dey is recently discharging similar duties in Birbhum constituency often campaigning alongside sitting party MP and film actress Shatabdi Roy. Dey who was expelled from his party after caught in the CCTV footage of a private hospital brandishing gun at the owners was recently inducted in the party, insiders said and was openly seen campaigning for the Trinamool alongside the candidate herself.
When asked to comment on Arabul Islam leading a 1000-strong bike rally — breaking Election Commission norms — with Sugato Bose following from atop a mini-truck a Pradesh Congress leader said “one wonders what Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose would have felt at the sight of how one of his illustrious descendants being led by a politician of criminal record.”
A prominent historian and a Cambridge doctorate Bose is the son of former MP Krishna Bose and taught at Tufts University and later accepted the Gardener Chair of Oceanic Affairs at the Harvard before answering to the calls of Banerjee post Parivartan Government to first join as the mentor of Presidency University and later join Trinamool Congress.