On Monday (June 26), Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir courted controversy for demanding the replacement of fellow TMC members from the party committee in Murshidabad with ‘Muslim leaders’.
Kabir had been aghast with the TMC high command for giving ‘pure unadulterated power’ to party members such as Shaoni Sinha Roy and Apurba Sarkar and their family members.
While speaking to Murshidabad Today, he remarked, “Why should two members of the same house get powerful positions in the party? Are others unworthy? Is the top leadership blind? Murshidabad district has a 70% Muslim population. Will this community not receive importance from Mamata Banerjee?”
Humayan Kabir made it clear to the TMC high command that if ‘Muslim leaders’ are not given charge of Murshidabad, then the community will move away from the party.
He said, “In 2021, 90 out of every 100 Muslims voted for the Trinamool Congress. This is why the party has 20 legislators from the district. On the other hand, Hindus voted en masse for the BJP and made the saffron party strong.”
The TMC leader cautioned, “It cannot happen that those who gave power to Mamata Banerjee will now tolerate betrayal from her…And we are expected not to speak a word about it. I will not tolerate this.”
“Shaoni Sinha Roy should be removed and replaced with a competent Muslim leader…You cannot take the people of Murshidabad for a toss. Give us their due…They gave you their full support in 2021. So, Mamata Banerjee now must fulfil their aspirations,” he stated.
Infighting in TMC over local leadership in Murshidabad
During the interview, Humayan Kabir informed that the local Trinamool Congress leadership in Murshidabad district had not been functioning properly for the past 22 months. Kabir lamented that although Abhishek Banerjee asked TMC leaders to cooperate with the elected representatives in the State, it did not materialise in his district.
“A district committee was formed by Shaoni Sinha Roy (TMC leader), but it did not get the approval of the party high command to date…He did not consult us before making such a committee. On what basis did he induct idiots with no experience at even booth-level politics? What were the criteria?” he inquired.
“We have been betrayed and shamed…So I demand the resignation of Shaoni Sinha Roy from the position of the President and Apurba Sarkar (another TMC leader) from the position of Chairman of the committee,” Kabir emphasised.
The TMC MLA lambasted the party’s high command for not looking past Roy and Sarkar. “Why is the power concentrated in the hands of these two and their family members? Are there no competent leaders in Murshidabad district,” he was heard saying.
Humayun Kabir sought the immediate intervention of Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee into the matter. “Is this a joke that members of one family will rule over Murshidabad? What will others do then?” he asked.
Will break your bones: Humayun Kabir to TMC leader
In July 2021, Kabir courted controversy after he threatened fellow party legislator Rabiul Alam Chowdhury with physical harm. He had issued the threats during a party meeting at Shaktipur in the Rezinagar Vidhan Sabha constituency of West Bengal.
While addressing the party workers, Kabir warned, “Akhankar jini nirbachito vidhyak, amar songe panga nite ela, tomar hadgor sob ek jaigai kore debo (If the elected representative of the area tries to pick up a fight with me, then, I will break his bones).”
He further instructed Chowdhury to treat the TMC workers with respect, else he would permanently stop his entry to Shaktipur. Responding to the threats, Chowdhury said that he did not want to encourage the confrontation further by commenting on the matter.
However, he added, “A dog might bite a man but he wouldn’t bite the dog (referring to Humayun Kabir). I only work according to the instructions given to me by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.”
ABP Ananda reported that the feud between the two dates back to 2012 when Chowdhury defeated Kabir in by-elections. Again in 2016, Kabir lost out to Chowdhury as an independent candidate during the elections.
