Singur, Nov 30 (IANS) Disgruntled Trinamool Congress minister and Singur lawmaker Rabindranath Bhattacharya Friday said he has written to West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee requesting to be relieved of his political responsibilities in view of his “unsound physical and mental condition”.
“I want to resign from MLAship and have requested the chief minister to start the process of relieving me from all political responsibilities. It is not possible for me to join the department and take charge,” said Bhattacharya.
He was recently shunted from agriculture to the statistics and programme implementation department, but has refused to take charge of his new portfolio.
“I am not mentally prepared for politics,” the septuagenarian told media persons here in Hooghly district.
Stating that he was waiting for a response from Banerjee on his quitting, the retired headmaster said he was retiring from all forms of politics.
Bhattacharya, Banerjee’s trusted aide during the 2007 peasant movement in Singur, had dropped a bombshell subsequent to his removal from the agriculture department by claiming that Trinamool cadres extorted money from the people and the chief minister was well aware of the fact.
Sticking to his claims, he said: “I have sufficient grounds for my claims. I said this as a warning for the chief minister. Extortion of illegal money and indiscipline in the party has to be stopped.”
Bhattacharya, who was not invited to the Hooghly district administrative meeting called by Banerjee in Singur Friday, said he was unperturbed and did not take it as indifference towards him by the party.
Claiming himself as a Banerjee well-wisher, Bhattacharya said he will forever remain loyal to his party.
