Sabysachi Dutta's return to Trinamool Congress reopens old wounds

Will Sabysachi Dutta's return to Trinamool Congress fuel infighting? It is true that Dutta's return to the party has sparked tensions among the top party leaders like Sujit Basu and Tapas Chattopadhyay. Now, the question that is making the rounds is whether Dutta will be able to regain his position of importance once he had in the party

Kolkata: Sabyasachi Dutta’s retreat to Trinamool Congress (TMC) camp has already sparked grievances within the party. On Thursday, while he officially joined Trinamool Congress at the state assembly premises, two MLAs Sujit Basu and Tapas Chattopadhyay were absent.

The spokespersons of the ruling party, however, described the latest development as temporary. According to them, the retreat of Dutta to the ruling camp was made possible only because the chief minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee approved that. According to Trinamool Congress MLA and the party’s principal organiser in Barrackpore subdivision in North 24 Parganas, Partha Bhowmik feels that any political party operates on the basis of collective decisions. “There can be personal grievances over any development. But those grievances are not acceptable to the party as a whole,” Bhowmik said.

Even when both were Trinamool Congress MLA, the infighting between Sujit Basu and Sabyasachi Dutta was a much-discussed issue. In the last state assembly elections, they contested against each other with Bose, as a Trinamool Congress candidate and Dutta, as a BJP candidate. Basu defeated Dutta in those polls. It was then perceived that the chapters of infighting have come to an end.

Analysts differ on Dutta's return

According to a reputed social- scientist and the former principal of the then Presidency College, Dr Amal Kumar Mukhopadhyay, the event of Dutta’s retreat is bound to further fuel infighting within a party like Trinamool Congress, where infighting is a regular affair. “Especially sitting MLAs like Sujit Basu and Tapas Chattopadhyay will under no circumstance tolerate Dutta’s return to the Bidhannagar, Rajarhat and New Town areas. In my opinion, a leader who changes political camps frequently loses all credibility. Now only the future can say how smooth Dutta's existence will be within the party,” he said.

However, the former registrar of Calcutta University, Raja Gopal Dhar Chakraborty, said that since Trinamool Congress is a one-leader, chances are bleak that grievances over Dutta’s retreat will take the shape of a rebellion.

“In Trinamool Congress, Mamata Banerjee says the last word. Dutta could not have joined Trinamool again unless she had approved that. So, even if unwillingly, all other leaders of the party will have to accept that. So I don’t think the contention of Sujit Basu and Tapas Chattopadhyay will matter much. Of course, the party's veteran leader and Lok Sabha member, Sougata Roy, has already expressed reservations over Dutta’s retreat to Trinamool Congress. But I personally think that expressions of such grievances are temporary,” he said.

But it did not really happen. Just five months after the polls were concluded and the results were declared Dutta returned to Trinamool Congress. Since the time speculations started about Dutta’s possible retreat, Basu raised objections within the party. Similarly, Tapas Chattopadhyay, who besides being an MLA, is also an important administrator of Bidhannagar Municipal Corporation, also objected to Dutta’s retreat.

Both remained silent on Thursday after Dutta was officially taken back to the party. But, according to party sources, it is needless to say that both are extremely unhappy over this retreat. There were political ripples over the closeness of Dutta with the then national vice president of BJP, Mukul Roy, who virtually paved the way for Dutta to quit Trinamool Congress and join BJP before the last assembly elections. Another heavyweight minister in the Trinamool Congress cabinet, Firhad Hakim then tried his best from resisting Dutta in joining BJP. But he failed then.

Soon after the election results were announced Roy joined Trinamool back and on Thursday, Dutta too followed the same path, as Trinamool Congress’s secretary-general and the state commerce minister, Partha Chattgopadhya greeted him back to the party by handing over the party flag to him. Now, the question that is making the rounds is whether Dutta will be able to regain his position of importance in the Trinamool Congress that he enjoyed.