Adieu babul style

Adieu babul style

The former Minister is upset after being ousted from the Modi Cabinet in the recent reshuffle.

Babul Supriyo, a former BJP Minister, has announced on Facebook that he is quitting politics. The two-time MP from Asansol and the face of the BJP in West Bengal has finally said adieu to the party that once banked upon his charisma as a singer to garner votes. He said he was leaving politics after due consideration with his family and that he would quit politics itself, not just the party or his Parliament seat. He also wrote that he would not join any other party but later deleted that part. Babul has been candid in admitting that his decision has a lot to do with him being dropped from the Modi Cabinet. The party saw it coming or not, but the BJP’s Bengal unit is in disarray. It does not have any popular face to portray. Babul had joined the BJP just before the 2014 elections and was the blue-eyed boy of the Prime Minister. He served as a Minister of State with important portfolios in both terms of the Modi Government. People often leave and join parties but Babul’s resignation is different as he made no bones that he was upset about being dropped from the Cabinet.

Babul had it rough with the BJP’s State-level unit as well. He was not on good terms with State chief Dilip Ghosh and, indeed, the State unit of the party. Often he would be on social media airing his views, which were embarrassing for the central brass as well. Known for his short temper, Babul has courted controversy several times. Once he was caught on camera slapping his own party worker and, on another occasion, threatening a guy to break his leg at a function for the differently abled. He defeated Moon Moon Sen in the 2019 general elections but lost the Assembly elections by 50,000 votes. His opponents have called his resignation a “drama”, saying if he had to resign as an MP he should have written to the Speaker. Instead, he took to Facebook to create a storm in a teacup. Indeed, that might be the case as Babul may try to throw his weight around and bargain to retain his position. At the moment, it is a developing story. If it happens, it is indeed bad news for the BJP. Babul made little difference in the Assembly polls but his replacement would be harder to find.