The “cut-money” issue has been a matter of political discussions, clashes and protests all over West Bengal in recent times. Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee had recently said that those in her party who had taken cut-money (a share of government schemes and programs from the poor beneficiaries) must return it. Since then, some leaders of her party have returned money, the government has arrested some and the opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has taken political advantage of the situation and held protest meets.
Now, veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader – who has been a lawmaker for several terms – has told a TV channel in an interview that some people in his party who used to take cut money from the poor, have eventually joined the Trinamool Congress. The CPI(M), that has been long vocal about alleged corruption within the ruling Trinamool Congress, has been hugely embarrassed by Ganguly’s comments as it seems to affirm corrupt practises by some workers and leaders of the CPI(M).
According to Ganguly, the cut money scamsters – who were indulging in the malpractice towards the end of the Left Front rule – had en bloc joined the Trinamool Congress and have becomes kingpins of cut money makers.
He said that towards the end of the Left rule, some grassroots level members of the party became corrupt and they indulged in malpractices in the panchyats and also promoted nepotism. This had been reported in the party documents of that time and Ganguly said that he himself had raised the issue in the party then to draw attention of the senior leaders.
A rectification drive had also been initiated by his party, but the entire corrupt brigade could not be weeded out, he said. And those tainted people had then changed their political loyalty and joined the Trinamool, becoming their “assets”, he said.
Party insiders feel that the veteran leader’s comments on the party’s internal matters may not go down well with the leadership. However, the leadership is certain that Ganguly does not have any “ulterior motive” while making such comments.
CPIM senior leader Sujan Chakraborty has said that though there are several ways of exchanging opinion and dialogue within the party, why Kanti Ganguly chose to speak to the media could be best explained by him.
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