Former Union Minister Dinesh Trivedi, who recently resigned from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has said that the West Bengal ruling party’s “model of corruption and violence” will no longer work and will bring the state back to the “days dark “.
He also called the “internal-external” debate initiated by the head of TMC and Bengal’s chief minister, Mamata Banerjee, as “antithetical” to the liberal spirit of Bengal.
The former railway minister praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, praising his popularity and insisting that people have faith in his leadership, but kept his political plans secret.
Trivedi resigned his Rajya Sabha and TMC membership last Friday, saying he felt “suffocated” due to the violence in West Bengal and his inability to do anything about it.
He also insisted that it was necessary to establish the rule of law in the state to achieve “real change.”
“In Bengal, we talk about icons and their ideals, but what we see is the opposite. The (TMC) model of violence and corruption is not what Bengal stands for. This model will take Bengal back to the dark days. The state has a lot of potential and we can’t just let it go to waste, ”Trivedi said in an exclusive interview with the PTI news agency.
He said that as a public representative he could not have turned a blind eye to what was happening in the state.
He maintained that he felt ashamed when people asked him about the culture of violence in the state, something that “pricked” his conscience and made him take a firm position.
“I prefer to work for the people of the state in my own way if my party does not allow it. It is time that we put an end to the TMC model and culture of corruption and violence, ”he said.
Trivedi also accused the TMC of being in “denial mode” about events in the state and playing the “victim card.”
“If the thought process is that if you don’t regularly abuse the prime minister and the interior minister, you’re not a loyal party soldier, then no one can help it. Criticizing does not mean abusing. We are Bengali Bhadra lok (gentlemen), ”he said.
The chair commands respect and those who occupy it should not be denigrated just for being from a rival party, he said.
The veteran leader said he raised these questions several times on TMC forums, but it came back to nothing as “someone else” other than Mamata Banerjee took “control of the party” after he came to power in 2011. However , refused to name who he was.
“Over and over again I raised the problems with the party. After the Narada scam, when I raised the issue on a party forum, it was dropped. I became the bad guy and they asked me not to campaign at the polls. I never spoke in public due to the discipline of the game, ”he said, responding to a question about why it took him so long to speak.
Political circles have been rife with speculation that he might join the BJP, but Trivedi declined to say anything other than praising the BJP.
“BJP is the number one party in the world. I thank Kailash Vijayvargiya Ji (Bengal caretaker of BJP) and Dilip Ghosh Ji (BJP chief of Bengal) from the bottom of my heart for welcoming me to the party. Only time will respond to what awaits you. But I will continue to fight for the betterment of the people of Bengal, ”he said.
Dinesh Trivedi said that the people of the country and also of West Bengal have faith in the leadership of Narendra Modi, which was reflected in the way the BJP won 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.
“It was because of the people’s faith in PM Modi that the BJP achieved such a spectacular performance. I also lost the Lok Sabha elections due to the wave of Modi. How can we deny that? “Trivedi, who lost from Barrackpore, said.
The former union minister disapproved of the inside-outside debate triggered by Mamata Banerjee, saying it was against the cultural tradition of state liberalism.
“India is a liberal country and Bengal is one of the most liberal states. This internal and external Bengali and non-Bengali debate is very much against the rich culture and heritage of Bengal. The status of Rabindranath Tagore and Swami Vivekananda has no place for such debates, ”he said.
Trivedi deplored the marginalization of the founding members of the TMC after the party came to power.
“Before the TMC came to power, we sat down for three or four hours every day to discuss the party’s work and formalize the strategy. But after we came to power, the founding members were nowhere to be found and someone else took over the party. But why blame someone else if those in charge chose to remain silent? “, He said.
He also criticized the Mamata Banerjee government for being in conflict with the Center “all the time” and not allowing central welfare schemes to be implemented in West Bengal, saying it harms the state.
The former TMC veteran was apparently referring to the state’s refusal to implement the Ayushman Bharat scheme and belatedly agreed to allow the PM Kisan Samman Nidhi scheme for farmers.
When asked if he had raised these issues with Banerjee, he said that those at the head of a party or government must have a “strong information system.”
He said the TMC came to power with the promise of “paribortan” (change), but that real change will occur only when the rule of law is established. “There is no rule of law today,” he argued.
“My commitment is to the people,” he said when asked whether or not he will be accused of defecting from the TMC before the assembly elections after enjoying the fruits of power.
Trivedi said several of his former TMC colleagues called him after he resigned and told him he did the right thing.
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She is a freelance blogger, writer, and speaker, and writes for various entertainment magazines.