• Abhijit Nath, NET Correspondent, Tripura 

Agartala, May 27, 2022 : Tripura’s most debated political leader Asis Das on Friday left the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) within 8 months of joining the party led by its supremo Mamata Banerjee camp at Kolkata after going head shaved as ‘penance’ for the misrule of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state.

The former BJP legislator from Tripura’s Surma assembly constituency in Dhalai district resigned from AITC on Friday. He was earlier disqualified by the Tripura Legislative Assembly speaker Ratan Chakraborty from MLA’s post on January 05, 2022.

Speaking to reporters here in Agartala on Friday, Asis said “Till yesterday, I was sure of fighting the election against BJP staying in the party under the leadership of its supremo Mamata Banerjee. But the TMC leadership yesterday held a meeting at my assembly constituency, but did not feel of informing me. I am having a notion that the West Bengal’s ruling political party is doing injustice to me. I had resigned from MLAship which was a big sacrifice. But I am deprived for receiving deserving respect. A cent percent groupism is going on in the party. The people of Tripura near to 80 percent were supporting the Trinamool Congress when the party started its journey in full-fledged manner under the leadership of Abhishek Banerjee. I also joined the party. But now, surviving in this political party is no longer possible for me.”

Taking a jibe on Tripura’s TMC president Subal Bhowmik, he said “TMC had made a president of Tripura who changed parties for not less than 8 times. Bhowmik is a businessmen not a politician. He will certainly be awarded with life imprisonment if Enforcement Directorate (ED) or Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) takes specific case against this frequent political party changer. Although, his father was a postman and today, Bhowmik is a multi-millionaire. He earned this position of being a political broker.”

“All the old party workers are deprived. The people who strived hard for the party during tough times are now left behind. During my time of joining TMC, CPIM was silent and Congress was nowhere in the field. I joined TMC with lone motive of ousting BJP from Tripura. As of now, I have no desire to join any other political party and looking for the people’s response. I will contest alone in the ensuing elections if my people’s response is positive”, he added.

Reacting to this development, Pradesh TMC president Bhowmik said “I do not want to comment on this matter because he has mostly issued statements of his own volition. Sometimes he would sit in front of the Gandhi statue alone and at others, he would shave off his head or take off his clothes whenever he saw fit.”

“Just yesterday, I went to the Surma Assembly constituency to hold an organizational meeting with around 500 workers. Nobody asked me about Ashish Das. I do not want to speak ill of him but after joining the party under Abhishek Banerjee’s guidance, he was not seen in any Trinamool event or party activities. When he was not acting as a part of Trinamool, how can he quit the party?”

“Besides, similar statements have been issued by him in the past. Those who don’t visit their own constituencies in three years, I don’t know what to say about them. Especially after he spoke ill about a sound politician like Abhishek Banerjee”, Bhowmik added.