If whispers inside the ruling Trinamool Congress are anything to go by, rebel party MP Somen Mitra is all set to quit his outfit by the first half of next month. A veteran politician and a former Bengal Pradesh Congress president, Mitra has already dropped hints about his quitting the party.
“I will let you know when I quit the party,” he said adding, “I will first resign from my lok Sabha post before leaving the Trinamool Congress.” The Diamond Harbour MP also refused comments about the stated ‘misdeeds’ of the ruling party saying “I am still a member of my outfit and it is improper to comment. For doing so I must first resign my post and membership. I will speak only after I resign my post and come out of the party.”
Mitra who had earlier shot off a letter to the Union Human Resources Ministry demanding CBI investigation into a new scam related to recruitment of 18,000 primary school teachers through the Teachers Eligibility Test held in the month of March is known to be in touch with at least 7-8 party MPs who will “resign at appropriate moments.”
Mitra who has in the recent weeks appeared in a number of Congress programmes was in touch with a bevy of Trinamool leaders ‘including 7-8 MPs and a group of MlAs’ a leader close to him said adding however, “not all the MPs would quit with him.” The leaders are likely “to take their decisions as per situation.”
According to party sources the MPs who may follow Mitra come mainly from North 24 Parganas, Nadia and Birbhum. Some of these leaders are unlikely to get tickets in the next year’s general elections. Once denied tickets they would switch sides to the Congress, sources said.
“There are a number of MlAs, at least about 30 in number, who are unhappy with the way the party is functioning” said the leader adding however the MlAs were not likely to quit the party immediately and would wait for some time to take a final call.
Mitra is likely to quit the party along with his MlA wife Shikha Mitra who is currently under suspension for anti-party activities. “There is a huge misconception about the Chief Minister who exhibits herself as a paragon of virtue and integrity which is not” Shikha Mitra said insisting “only sycophants are tolerated in the outfit. Those who object to anti-people are either thrown out or thrown behind the bars.”
According to the rebel MlA “very soon the people would realise their mistake like those who have already started doing so” adding the Chief Minister would have to pay dearly for what she was doing. “Her only motto now is to finish Somen Mitra who has had a long political career running into decades,” the MlA maintained.