40 yrs on, BJP & TMC threaten to breach Ghani fort
Times of India | 2 May 2024
MALDA: The Mercedes Benz (WMD– 4085) with a red beacon parked in Malda’s Kotwali Bhawan garage for the last 18 years serves as a reminder that the legacy of Barkat da or ABA Ghani Khan Chowdhury remains to this day in Malda.
The legend goes that Ghani Khan, five-time MLA, eight-time MP and a state and central minister, never had to step out of his Merc as people went up to him to say that they would vote for him.Even after his death in 2006, there has not been a single election in Malda when votes have not been sought in his name.
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Even after Ghani Khan’s death, his brother Abu Hasem Khan Chowdhury (Dalu) won the undivided Malda Lok Sabha seat in 2006. After 2009, when the seat was split into Malda South and Malda North, Dalu won from Malda South thrice (2009, 2014, and 2019). Mausam Noor, Ghani Khan’s niece, won Malda North in 2009 and 2014.
Though Dalu held on to his ground, his 2014 winning margin of 1.6 lakh plummeted to 8,222 in 2019.
In 2019, when Noor defected to Trinamool Congress, BJP stunned poll pundits by securing a win in Malda North.
The saffron surge in Barkat da’s bastion in 2019 is attributed to several factors. The tribals and the Rajbanshis of Malda North, who backed CPM even during Ghani Khan’s tenure, switched their allegiance to BJP. A hugely polarising campaign and the split caused by Noor contesting on a TMC ticket and Isha, Ghani Khan’s nephew and Dalu’s son, contesting on a Congress ticket, helped BJP’s Khagen Murmu snatch a win.
In 2024, Isha is contesting in Malda South (a seat his father held since 2009). Noor, now a TMC Rajya Sabha MP, has been replaced by TMC with former IPS officer Prasun Banerjee as its Malda North candidate.
So, is the Ghani legacy on the wane? No, says Isha. “In the 2021 assembly polls, it was a clear ploy between Modi (PM Narendra Modi) and Didi (CM Mamata Banerjee) to unleash the fear of NRC to misguide Muslims. Now, they can understand the reality and are returning to our fold. Even in the last panchayat election (in 2023), you have seen the shift,” he said.
Mostaque Alam, too, invokes Ghani Khan, “It was Ghani Khan who last took care of the erosion problem. Since then, it has been only about siphoning money and the blame game of TMC and BJP.”
Veteran Congress leader Kalisadhan Roy said, “Barkat da never indulged in communal politics. In fact, his family carries the legacy of living above religious identity. Today, it is becoming clear to the people.”
If Congress candidates still hold on to the Ghani Khan legacy, the opposition, too, is unable to completely ignore it. While campaigning, CM Mamata Banerjee said, “We respected Barkat da. We made Mousam Noor a Rajya Sabha MP as Barkat da’s family should have a representative there.”
Veteran TMC leader and Ghani Khan’s former confidante, Sabitri Mitra, sees “Barkat da’s shadow” in TMC’s Malda South candidate Shahnawaj Ali.
PM Narendra Modi, who addressed an election rally in Malda on April 26, attacked TMC and Congress but maintained silence on Ghani Khan and his family. District BJP leader Amlan Bhaduri said, “We want TMC and Congress to keep fighting over the Ghani Khan legacy. We want to build our own legacy with Modi. His rallies and April 26 road show in Malda have proved people’s love for him. He had to stop his speech twice as ‘Modi Modi’ chants rented the air.”