Not my brother: CM Mamata Banerjee publicly disowns Babun Banerjee after revolt
Times of India | 14 March 2024
SILIGURI/KOLKATA: CM Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday publicly disowned youngest brother Babun Banerjee after he rebelled against Trinamool Howrah Lok Sabha candidate ex-India footballer Prasun Banerjee and threatened to fight as an Independent against the official Trinamool nominee.
"I do not like greedy people," the CM said, adding: "Forget there ever was any tie between us; there is nothing from today.People are free to choose and fight on their own wherever they want."
She practised "manushtantra (politics with humans at the centre)" and not "parivartantra (politics promoting the family)", Mamata emphasised. "I cannot tolerate a wrong. Not everything can be said in public; we sometimes cannot speak of the pain in our heart. But I am not in any dilemma over this. The party's candidate is Prasun Banerjee. There are some who feel the urge to contest as councillors, MLAs, MPs whenever elections are near. I will end up doing parivartantra if everyone in my family starts asking for MP and MLA tickets. My only family is people," she added.
The CM's ire prompted Babun to immediately issue a 0.25-second post on Facebook: "As long as CM Mamata Banerjee is there, I will be with my leader." He later told a TV channel that he was not going to contest as an Independent and he had heard what the CM had to say about him. "I accept everything she has said as her blessings," he added.
This round of discord started with Babun leaving for Delhi on Tuesday, ostensibly for "elder brother's medical treatment". He broke his silence on Wednesday morning, attacking Prasun Banerjee. Babun cited an incident during a Mohun Bagan AGM where Prasun allegedly "publicly humiliated" him. He disagreed with the party's Howrah choice, he added. "I will contest as an Independent. I know Didimoni (the CM) will ask me not to but I will," he said.
Babun Banerjee's aides said he met a former Indian Olympic Committee administrator with links to BJP in Delhi. Babun, not directly into politics, is the Bengal Olympic Association president and closely associated with Mohun Bagan. He is the youngest of the CM's five surviving brothers.
BJP - just before the 2021 assembly election - had said "lotus will bloom in Kalighat", triggering talk about Babun fighting on a BJP ticket (which did not happen).
Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday noted "this was not the first time (Babun had rebelled)". "He has created discord every time there is an election. But they have forgotten their childhood. I was talking about this with Abhishek (Banerjee) this morning. Babun was two-and-a-half when my father died. I used to earn Rs 45 working at a milk depot and raised them. But, probably because I was into politics, I could not bring him up properly. Our family is a large one," an emotional CM said in Siliguri.
"But let his name and our family not be referred to together. Do not refer to him as my brother from today. Please do not use my name (with his). I have dissociated myself entirely from all family bonding (with him)," she added.
An angry Mamata did not even name Babun while saying "he admitted his links with BJP". "I have no family of my own. My family is the Ma-Mati-Manush family. And, if by family you mean blood relations, there are 32 members in our family. But no one is like him. All of us are very angry. And I am saying this directly: when people grow old, they get more greedy. Play your games but leave the family alone," she said.
Babun said in his Facebook post that his "BJP links (were) fake news". "Our responsibility to ensure Prasun wins increases from today. Prasun, our party candidate, has been challenged by some greedy people. I will urge all TMC workers who love me, everyone in the Ma-Mati-Manush family who believes in me, to ensure Prasun wins," Mamata said.