After a series of setbacks in court, the Trinamool Congress has had a run of favourable verdicts recently, which the party hopes will prove advantageous as the Assembly elections due for early next year draw near.
On Tuesday, Partha Chatterjee, one of the most high-profile TMC leaders to be put behind bars, walked out of jail. This came close on the heels of the Supreme Court directing the Central government to release the long-delayed MNREGS funds for West Bengal.
If Chatterjee was projected as the face of the “corruption” within the TMC government – with the indelible image of cash pouring out of cupboards linked to him – the stuck MNREGS benefits were attributed by the Centre to the Mamata Banerjee government’s “slip-ups” as well, as it accused the state of “failing” to provide an audit of expenses on the scheme.
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The impression the BJP sought to convey was that Bengal was paying a price for Mamata’s “confrontational” stance with the Centre.
Starting 2022, the school recruitment scam which saw more than 25,000 school jobs being cancelled led to the arrest of Chatterjee and other prominent TMC leaders such as MLAs Manik Bhattacharya and Jibankrishna Saha, and youth face Kuntal Ghosh.
Most of them are out on bail now, including Bhattacharya, Saha and Ghosh.
In another case, of alleged cattle smuggling, top TMC leader Anubrata Mondol was arrested by the CBI and ED. In September, he got bail.
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Another senior TMC leader, Jyotipriya Mallick, was arrested over an alleged ration scam, along with party leaders Anisur Rehman and his elder brother Shankar Adhya, and businessman Bakibur Rahman. All are out on bail.
Last month, in another order celebrated by the TMC, the Calcutta High Court lifted the protection given in 2022 to senior BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari against registration of FIRs. In the earlier order, the court had said its permission was necessary before lodging an FIR against the Nandigram MLA.
After the Supreme Court order resuming payment of MNREGA funds to West Bengal, TMC No. 2 Abhishek Banerjee posted on X: “Another crushing defeat for the bohiragoto Bangla-birodhi zamindars (foreign anti-Bengali zamindars)… When they failed to defeat us politically, BJP weaponised deprivation; snatching away the wages of the poor and punishing the people for standing by Maa, Mati, Manush. But Bengal does not yield.”
Acknowledging that the court orders had come as a boon for the party, a senior TMC leader said, “Politics is all about perception. So getting bail in a case is almost akin to an acquittal. We are enjoying that advantage as all major leaders accused of corruption have got bail.”
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On the MNREGA order, he said: “We repeatedly told the people that the Central government was intentionally withholding the funds and that, due to this, the poorer sections of the state were not getting their wages. In villages, people believed this. The Supreme Court verdict has basically proved that we were right, and this will give us a major political dividend not only when it comes to the MNREGS but also all projects where the Central government has stopped funds for more than two years.”
BJP leader Rahul Sinha countered this, saying there was no doubt that the TMC is “a fully corrupt party”. “Don’t think that these cases end the list of corruption charges against this party. Many new corruption cases will come out. Leaders coming out on bail is basically court procedure. They have not been acquitted of the allegations.”
For now, the TMC is keeping its distance from Chatterjee. One of the party’s most important organisational hands once, he has declined in significance since his arrest and subsequent suspension from the party. However, as a senior TMC leader said, “Still he knows the TMC inside out having been in it from the very first day when Mamata formed it. He also has good relations with old leaders of the party. So his release from jail could have a bearing on the organisation, especially in his Assembly constituency of Behala (West).”
When the visibly relieved Chatterjee returned home on Tuesday, there were no TMC leaders present to receive him. The 73-year-old, who could not control his tears, told reporters: “Truth will prevail and people will be the judge.”
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However, the isolation may not last. Mallick, released on bail in January this year, was seen recently at a statewide virtual meeting of the party.