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Tag: Babul Supriyo

  • Babul Supriyo likely to resign as BJP’s Asansol MP on Wednesday

    Express News Service

    KOLKATA:  A day after his defection to Trinamool Congress sent shockwaves within the BJP, former Union minister and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo said on Sunday that he will tender his resignation as Lok Sabha MP to speaker, if possible, on Wednesday.

    The latest BJP tunrocat to join the Trinamool Congress said that he would request the party not to ask him to campaign for its leader Mamata Banerjee against the BJP’s Priyanka Tibrewal. His request came after Priyanka, with whom Supriyo has family ties, on Sunday said she would request him not to campaign against his “sister’’. “Priyanka is a woman with a spirit to fight. I have a family relation with her. I will request the party not to embarrass me by asking me to campaign against her in Bhowanipore.

    Besides, my presence is not at all required in a constituency where Mamata Banerjee is contesting,’’ said Supriyo. Babul thanked Mamata and the TMC for giving him a chance in the ‘’playing 11’’. “I always want to be part of the playing 11, instead of sitting on the reserve bench. I thank Mamatadidi and Abhishek Banerjee (Trinamool Congress’ national general secretary) for giving me a chance , ” he added.

    The singer turned- politician never missed an oppor tuni ty t o launch a blistering attack on Mamata and Abhishek on several issues during the campaign for the recent Assembly elections. Calling Mamata the face of the opposition against the BJP nationwide, he made it clear that he would like to see her as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2024 general elections.

  • Ready to resign from membership of Lok Sabha, would like to see Mamata as PM candidate: Babul Supriyo

    By Express News Service

    KOLKATA: A day after his staggering move defecting to the TMC from the BJP, former Union minister and Asansol MP Babul Supriyo said on Sunday that he is all set to resign from membership of Lok Sabha and if the Speaker gives him time, he will tender his resignation on Wednesday.

    The former flamboyant face of the saffron camp, the latest turncoat in the Trinamool Congress camp, said he would request the party not to put him in an embarrassing situation by engaging him in the Bhowanipore by-election campaign against BJP’s candidate Priyanka Tibrewal who is contesting against chief minister Mamata Banerjee. His request came after Priyanka on Sunday said she would request Supriyo not to campaign against his ‘sister’.

    “Priyanka is a woman with a spirit to fight. I have a family relation with her. I will request the party not to embarrass me by asking me to campaign against her in Bhowanipore. Besides, my presence in poll campaign is not at all required in a constituency where Mamata Banerjee is contesting,’’ said Supriyo.

    Babul thanked Mamata and the TMC for giving him a chance in the “playing 11”.

    “I always want to be part of playing 11, instead of sitting on the reserve bench. I thank Mamatadidi and Abhishek Banerjee (TMC’s national general secretary) for giving me a chance,” he added.

    The singer-turned-politician never missed an opportunity to launch a blistering attack on Mamata and Abhishek on several issues during the campaign in the recent Assembly elections. Twenty-four hours after shifting his political allegiance, he made it clear that Mamata is the face of the opposition against the BJP nationwide and he would like to see her as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2024 general elections.

    “I will like to see a popular face as the Prime Ministerial candidate in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections and Mamata Banerjee is one of them,’’ he said.

    A war of words between the two-term MP from Asansol and BJP functionaries broke out within 24 hours of Supriyo’s defection.

    Referring to BJP’s state president Dilip Ghosh’s comment labeling Supriyo as a political tourist who join politics to earn money, the former Union minister hit back saying, “I will present him (Ghosh) a barnaporichoy book (a Bengali primer) so that he can bring some decency in his statement.”

    Supriyo also raised his objection on BJP leader Tathagata Roy’s remark describing him as a traitor.

  • Life has opened a new avenue for me: Babul Supriyo on joining TMC

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Former Union minister and BJP MP Babul Supriyo, who switched over to West Bengal’s ruling TMC in a surprise move, on Sunday said life has now opened a new avenue for him from the prospect of being “retired hurt” from public affairs.

    Supriyo also said he has nothing to prove to anybody, and he has been involved in politics from the grassroots level since becoming an MP in 2014 on a BJP ticket from Asansol.

    “Life has opened a new avenue for me from the prospect of being retired hurt from public life,” Supriyo said, addressing a press conference at the Trinamool Congress headquarters here.

    “I received a lot of love and support from a party (TMC) with which I had a very tumultuous relationship,” he said.

    Blowing hot and cold for several weeks after being dropped from the Narendra Modi government, the BJP MP sprang a surprise on Saturday when he joined the TMC and asserted he will work for the development of the state.

    Supriyo, a two-term MP from Asansol, had earlier declared he will quit politics, before being persuaded by the BJP leadership to continue as a Lok Sabha member.

  • Sulking Babul Supriyo joins TMC weeks after ‘quitting politics’ remark

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Blowing hot and cold for several weeks after being dropped from the Modi government, BJP MP Babul Supriyo sprang a surprise on Saturday when he joined West Bengal’s ruling TMC and asserted he will work for the development of the state.

    Supriyo, a two-term MP from Asansol, had earlier declared he will quit politics, before being persuaded by the BJP leadership to continue as a Lok Sabha member.

    The singer-turned-politician joined the TMC in the presence of party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and Rajya Sabha MP and spokesperson Derek O’Brien.

    “Today, in the presence of National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee and RS MP Derek O’Brien, former Union Minister and sitting MP Babul Supriyo joined the Trinamool family. We take this opportunity to extend a very warm welcome to him!,” the TMC tweeted.

    Unlike many in a regimented party like the BJP, Supriyo had openly voiced his displeasure over being dropped from the Union government during its long-awaited reshuffle in July which incidentally came in the wake of his defeat in Tollygunge in the March-April West Bengal assembly polls.

    Speculation is now rife about the possibility of Supriyo being fielded for the Rajya Sabha seat recently vacated by TMC member Arpita Ghosh, who said she had resigned as she wanted to work for the party organisation.

    Addressing a press conference which lasted barely 10 minutes, Supriyo said he is excited about joining the TMC and will work for the development of West Bengal.

    “When I had said two months back that I want to quit politics, I was serious about it. This new development took place in the last three-four days. So, after I got this opportunity, I decided to change my mind,” he told reporters with O’Brien seated beside him.

    “I am very excited about joining the TMC. I will work for the development of Bengal,” he said.

    “Of course, naturally.  will go by the rulebook,” he said when asked if he will resign from the Lok Sabha.

    Supriyo said he will meet West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

    “I am grateful to Abhishek Banerjee and Mamata Banerjee for giving me a big opportunity to work for the state and serve the people,” he said.

    Days after being dropped from the ministry, Supriyo had said the development had some role in his decision to quit politics but made it clear he was not joining any other party.

    “Have listened to what my father, wife, daughter and a few close friends had to say. After listening to everything, I am saying that I am not going to any other party. I am confirming that I am not joining the Congress, not the CPM. Neither they have called me, nor I am going. I am a one-team player. Have always supported Mohun Bagan. Have done only party BJP West Bengal.That’s it!” the former minister wrote in a social media post.

    Reacting to Supriyo joining the TMC, BJP state spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said his decision to jump ship proves he is an “opportunist”.

    “It only proves that he was with the party only for the post of a central minister. As he was dropped from the ministry, he switched camps.

    But let me make this clear that in 2024 a BJP candidate will win the Asansol Lok Sabha seat,” he said.

    State Congress president Adhir Chowdhury said the development proves both the TMC and the BJP follow the politics of poaching leaders of other parties.

    Welcoming Supriyo into the party, state TMC general secretary Kunal Ghosh said the development proves that the BJP is a sinking ship in Bengal.

    “It proves BJP is a sinking ship in Bengal. Supriyo was not happy with the party’s functioning and decided to quit the saffron camp,” he said.

    With Saturday’s development, Supriyo has joined a virtual parade of BJP leaders and lawmakers to the TMC since the saffron party’s defeat in the assembly polls.

    Before him, four MLAs, including BJP vice president Mukul Roy, had joined the TMC.

  • Excited about joining TMC, will work for Bengal’s development: Babul Supriyo

    By PTI

    KOLKATA: Shortly after joining the TMC here, former Union minister and BJP MP Babul Supriyo on Saturday said he is extremely excited to be a part of the Mamata Banerjee-led party and will work hard for the development of West Bengal. Asked if he would quit as BJP MP from Asansol, Supriyo said he will follow the rulebook.

    “When I had said two months back that I want to quit politics, I was serious about it. After getting this new opportunity, however, I decided to change my mind.”

    “I am very excited about joining the TMC. I will work for the development of Bengal,” he stated. Supriyo also said that he will be meeting West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday.

    “I am grateful to Abhishek Banerjee, (TMC national general secretary) and Mamata Banerjee for giving me an opportunity to work for the state.

    “I will follow the rulebook; there is no point in holding on to the Asansol seat when I have joined the TMC,” he added. Last month, Supriyo had announced that he was quitting politics.

    He was later persuaded against resigning as a Lok Sabha member even as the singer-turned-politician insisted that he would no longer be part of active politics.

  • TMC mocks Babul Supriyo’s U-turn; Bengal BJP maintains silence

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: With BJP leader Babul Supriyo making a U-turn on his decision to quit as an MP, the Trinamool Congress mocked him for allegedly enacting a “well-scripted drama” to score brownie points in the saffron party after he was dropped from the union cabinet in the last reshuffle.

    The BJP’s West Bengal leadership, however, maintained a stoic silence on the development.

    The singer-turned-politician had announced in a social media post on Saturday that he would quit as an MP and active politics.

    However, after meeting BJP president J P Nadda in Delhi on Monday, the Asansol MP said he will continue to discharge his constitutional responsibilities as a parliamentarian but withdraw from politics and leave his official residence in the national capital.

    His decision will be a big relief to the BJP as it would not have liked to be forced to contest a by-poll against the TMC, which is upbeat after handing a comprehensive defeat to the saffron party in the assembly election held earlier this year.

    TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh said that Supriyo has been enacting a drama from the very beginning as he was dropped from the ministry.

    ALSO READ | Will remain MP but quit politics: Babul Supriyo after meeting BJP chief JP Nadda

    “If he was so keen on resigning, he should have sent his resignation letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker. Instead, he was indulging in tricks. We knew he would make a U-turn sooner than later,” Ghosh said.

    When contacted, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh, with whom Supriyo shares a strained relationship, declined to comment.

    “Babul Supriyo is an MP and he has met the party president. So, it is for the central leadership to comment on it, not the state leadership,” state BJP spokesperson Shamik Bhattacharya said.

    Both Supriyo and Debasree Chaudhuri, MPs from Bengal, were dropped as ministers in the July cabinet reshuffle.

    Four other MPs from West Bengal, Nishith Pramanik, Santanu Thakur, Subhas Sarkar and John Barla – were inducted as MOS in different ministries.

    Upset at being dropped from the Union Council of Ministers, Supriyo, a two-term MP, on Saturday announced that he would resign as MP and quit politics.

    On Monday, he told reporters that Home Minister Amit Shah and Nadda had spoken to him, and he has taken a final decision after thinking over their suggestions.

  • Will remain MP but quit politics: Babul Supriyo after meeting BJP chief JP Nadda

    By PTI
    NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday managed to persuade Babul Supriyo against resigning as a Lok Sabha member even as the singer-turned-politician insisted that he will no longer be part of active politics.

    Speaking to reporters after meeting BJP president J P Nadda, the Asansol MP said he will continue to discharge his constitutional responsibilities as a parliamentarian but withdraw from politics and leave his official residence in the national capital.

    ALSO READ | Babul Supriyo’s edited Facebook post on resignation sparks speculation on his next political move

    His decision will be a big reprieve to the BJP as it would not have liked to be forced to contest a bypoll against the Trinamool Congress, which is upbeat after handing a comprehensive defeat to the saffron party in the recent West Bengal assembly polls.

    Upset at being dropped from the Union Council of Ministers by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the two-term MP had announced that he will resign as MP and quit politics.

    He told reporters on Monday that Home Minister Amit Shah and Nadda had spoken to him, and he has taken a final decision after thinking over their suggestions.

    He asserted that whatever he had said recently, some of which was seen to be critical of the party’s affairs in the state, was in the interest of the BJP and that he stood by that.

  • Babul Supriyo’s edited Facebook post on resignation sparks speculation on his next political move

    By Express News Service
    KOLKATA: Hours after writing a cryptic post on his Facebook account dropping hits at quitting politics, former Union minister Babul Supriyo edited the same triggering speculation on his next political move. While he indicated in the original post that he will not be joining any politial party, in the edited version, Supriyo has deleted the same.  

    On Saturday, the MP from Asansol took names of Trinamool Congress, Congress and CPI(M) while saying he is not joining any political party. Late on Saturday, he edited the content of his post and took out that portion.

    “I am confirming that no one has called me. Neither I am going anywhere. I am a one-team player. Have always supported one team Mohun Bagan, have done only BJP. That’s it,” the MP had written before taking out that part. In his first edit, Supriyo announced that he is quitting as MP as well.

    “It is a clear indication that Supriyo doesn’t want to shut all doors. Rather, he has opened it by editing the content. He actually fuelled to the speculations of his next political move,’’ said a senior BJP leader.

    In his Saturday’s Facebook post, Supriyo had made it clear that there was a link between his removal from the cabinet and his decision to quit politics. He also pointed out difference of opinion between him and BJP’s West Bengal leadership.

    Replying to a comment describing the editing by the singer-turned-politician was a reflection of his confusion, Supriyo replied, “That’s exactly what editing is…you try to male an article better ! Not history, loot at future. Read it fresh with a cool head tmrow morning.’’

    In a separate post on Sunday, Supriyo uploaded reactions of BJP’s West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh and TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh after his Facebook Post announcing his resignation. “Some people used languages according to their choice. I accept all these. I will answer to their comments by delivering without being an MP or a minister. I will feel good if I can build up a hospital in the name of my mother in Asansol and distribute blankets for the poor with the earning of my stage performance,’’ he wrote.

  • BJP like a family, senior leaders will try to convince Supriyo: Bengal MP Jagganath Sarkar

    By ANI
    NEW DELHI: Reacting to BJP leader Babul Supriyo’s announcement of quitting politics, the party MP Jagganath Sarkar said that the senior leaders of the party will try to convince him as BJP needs Supriyo.

    Sarkar assured that Supriyo will remain in the party and would be given some important responsibilities in the West Bengal unit of the party.

    Speaking to ANI, Sarkar said, “In some situations, a person feels like leaving his house when he is upset but it is our work to convince him and bring him back. BJP is like a large family. The senior members of the party will try to explain to him that the party needs him in future and he will be given an important responsibility in the party.”

    The Lok Sabha MP said: “If Supriyo will leave the party at this juncture, everyone will think that he took this step because he had to resign from the ministerial post. However, Supriyo has informed that this is not the reason for quitting politics. In my view, this is not right and he should have waited.”

    “Supriyo is an independent person. He left his banking job to be a singer and then eventually joined politics. There must be something going on in his mind. He had met some senior leaders in the party and discussed his issues with them. The senior leaders will talk to him,” Sarkar said.

    He further said, “Many- a-times, we take wrong decisions and eventually realise our mistake. I hope that the present situation will change and Babul dada will take the right decision. He will remain with us and he has handled the responsibilities of the party earlier too and will continue to do so.”

    Bharatiya Janata Party leader Babul Supriyo on Saturday said he is leaving politics and will also resign as an MP.

    Supriyo, who resigned earlier this month as minister of state for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, said in a Facebook post that there was a difference of opinion between him and the state BJP leaders and that the difference of opinion among senior leaders was “harming the party”.

    Supriyo stated that there was a difference of opinion between him and the state BJP leaders and that the difference of opinion among senior leaders was “harming the party”.

    Supriyo said he will also resign as an MP.

    The MP had said earlier he is not going to any political party and TMC, Congress, CPI(M) had not called him.

    Babul Supriyo joined the BJP in 2014 and has been elected twice from Asansol.

    Babul Supriyo, who represents Asansol in Lok Sabha, briefly referred to his moving out to the union council of ministers earlier this month. He lost in the assembly polls held earlier this year.

    The MP, who is a film artist and singer, said social work can be done without being in politics.

  • Former Union Minister Babul Supriyo to leave politics; to quit as BJP MP

    By PTI
    KOLKATA: Former Union Minister and BJP leader Babul Supriyo said on Saturday that he has decided to quit politics and will be resigning as an MP. He hinted the decision was partly due to losing the ministerial berth and also differences with the state BJP leadership.

    Supriyo, who had held several portfolios as MOS in the Narendra Modi government since 2014, was removed earlier this month during a major cabinet reshuffle.

    “Leaving, Alvida. Spoke to my parents, wife, friends, and after listening to the advice I am saying that I am leaving. Am not going to any other party – TMC, Congress, CPM, nowhere. I am confirming that nobody has called me,” he said.

    “I am going nowhere. I am a one-team player! Have always supported one team #MohunBagan – Have been with only one party – BJP West Bengal. That’s it!! Leaving,” Supriyo said in a Facebook post.

    “I have stayed for too long – I have helped somebody, have disappointed somebody, It is for the people to decide. To be involved in social work, you can do that without being involved in any politics,” his post read.

    The two-time MP from Asansol was among the several ministers who were dropped from the union cabinet on July 7 as part of a major rejig. His unsuccessfully contested assembly polls against Trinamool Congress’s Aroop Biswas in the last assembly elections.

    Both Supriyo and Debasree Chaudhuri were dropped as ministers. Four other MPs from West Bengal – Nishit Pramanik, Santanu Thakur, Subhas Sarkar and John Barla were inducted as MOS in the ministry.

    “If someone ask that whether leaving the politics is somehow connected to losing ministry. Yes then it is true to some extent….Also had differences with the state leadership since the assembly poll campaign,” he wrote.

    State BJP president Dilip Ghosh declined to comment on it.