TMC MLA Dutta takes a dig at party leaders over LS results

Kolkata, May 29 (IANS) Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA and Bidhannagar Mayor Sabyasachi Dutta on Wednesday took a swipe at his party leaders who failed to provide a lead in their respective Assembly segments in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and said some of them have been given higher responsibility within the party even after their failures.

"Some leaders in the party termed me as rotten potato before the elections. But when the results came out, it was seen that the rotten potato has given a lead to the party candidate while some fresh potatoes could not," said the Rajarhat-Newtown MLA.

Trinamool's Barasat Lok Sabha candidate Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar got a lead from Dutta's Assembly segment.

"In spite of this, they (the other leaders) are getting important positions within the party. May be they will become national leaders in future," Dutta said apparently referring to party's Bidhannagar MLA and state Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose, who has been given an added responsibility as Minister of State for Forests in a ministerial reshuffle by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee a day back.

There have been speculations over Dutta's political intentions ever since Mukul Roy, who deserted TMC to join the BJP, dropped in at his Salt Lake residence before the elections.

The incident was followed by a controversy over a social media post that apparently came from Dutta's mobile. He was not seen actively taking part in Ghosh Dastidar's campaign this year.

Some TMC leaders indirectly referred to him as a "rotten potato" and said he was intentionally kept away from the party programmes.

On May 26, days after the TMC suffered serious setbacks in the general elections, party's former Rajya Sabha MP Kunal Ghosh held an informal meeting with Dutta at his ward office before formally inaugurating a democratic platform Nabajagaran Mancha.

One of Mukul Roy's former aides Amitava Majumdar was made the joint convener of the platform.