Union Minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday took to Facebook to write an extraordinary post stating that he had no intention to congratulate Mamata Banerjee on her landslide victory in West Bengal assembly polls. Terming Banerjee a ‘cruel lady,’ Supriyo said that he was also not prepared to accept the people’s mandate.
Supriyo’s rant came immediately after he lost his seat in Tollygunj in Kolkata by 50,000 votes. The union minister, who was one of the four BJP MPs fielded to contest the assembly polls, wrote, “Neither will I congratulate Mamata Banerjee… nor do I wish to say I ‘respect’ the people’s verdict… sincerely think people of Bengal made a historic mistake by not giving BJP a chance… by electing this corrupt, incapable, dishonest government and a cruel lady back to power.”
He added, “Yes, as a law-abiding citizen, I shall ‘obey’ the decision taken by the people in a democratic country… That’s it !! Nothing more – Nothing less !!”
Supriyo’s rant came in contrast with how his bosses reacted to the BJP’s defeat in Bengal. From Prime Minister Narendra Modi, to Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, several top BJP leaders wasted no time in congratulating Mamata Banerjee on her historic win.
PM Modi tweeted, “Congratulations to Mamata Didi for @AITCofficial’s win in West Bengal. The Centre will continue to extend all possible support to the West Bengal Government to fulfil people’s aspirations and also to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic.” He added, “I would like to thank my sisters and brothers of West Bengal who have blessed our party. From a negligible presence earlier, BJP’s presence has significantly increased. BJP will keep serving the people. I applaud each and every Karyakarta for their spirited effort in the polls.”
Congratulations to Mamata Didi for @AITCofficial‘s win in West Bengal. The Centre will continue to extend all possible support to the West Bengal Government to fulfil people’s aspirations and also to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. @MamataOfficial
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) May 2, 2021
Sitharaman wrote, “Congratulations @MamataOfficial didi on @AITCofficial being elected again in the Assembly election. Good wishes for your next tenure.”
Congratulations @MamataOfficial didi on @AITCofficial being elected again in the Assembly election. Good wishes for your next tenure.
— Nirmala Sitharaman (@nsitharaman) May 2, 2021
Mamata Banerjee lost her Nandigram seat by a little over 1600 votes. The firebrand Trinamool leaders later said that she would approach the Supreme against the dubious role of the Election Commission, which she said had acted as the spokesperson of the BJP.
