As though the impact of chitgate on the Mamata Banerjee Government was not enough, the ruling Trinamool Congress was now faced with yet another issue: A clear disintegration in the pro-Mamata camp of intellectuals who had backed her during the Nandigram and Singur movements contributing immensely in her overwhelming victory in 2011 Assembly elections.
The three-year history of pro-Mamata Banerjee body of intellectuals Natya Swajan was as good as with its secretary and party MP Aripta Ghosh resigning her post in the wake of her serious differences with Tourism Minister Bratya Basu. Both Basu and Ghosh were renowned dramatists. Curiously, announcing her dissociation with the Natya Swajan Ghosh blamed the “group of sidekicks and inefficient people” who had joined the group “to impede all the good works we had contemplated three years ago.” Her main complaint was nepotism, corruption and disorderliness the vises that had allegedly inflicted the Trinamool Congress rank and file also.
“When power goes to your head then it becomes very dangerous” Ghosh said after her resignation adding the body of intellectuals was filled with “sycophants, and worthless people who are impeding work” and were after making the hey till the sun shone. Before Ghosh a number of senior artists, dramatists who had joined Banerjee to build a new Bengal left the Group that was formed with the single motto to prop up ideals of the Trinamool Government.
Among those who left the Group earlier were theatre personalities Debesh Chatterjee and Manish Mitra. “It is very difficult to come out of this mess” Ghosh a Trinamool MP from Balurghat said adding she would not relate things to the Chief Minister on her own and only take things up with her if she was called upon to do so.
Earlier the Trinamool saw a couple of MPs and MlAs speaking out in the open against the corrupt and arbitrary ways of the party leadership. They were led by party oddball and East Midnapore MP Suvendu Adhikary.