TMC leader's betray slur

Atul Subba. (Anirban Chowdhury)

TT, Alipurduar, March 11: The sahakari sabhadhipati of the Trinamul-run Alipurduar zilla parishad, Atul Subba, today said naming Wilson Champramary as the party candidate for Kalchini was a "betrayal".

Subba said he was in touch with other political parties and would contest from Kalchini as a candidate of any party or even as an Independent.

"The state and district leaders of our party like Mukul Roy, Sourav Chakraborty and Dasarath Tirkey had assured me that I would be the Trinamul candidate in Kalchini. But on March 4, Wilson Champramary was named," Subba told reporters today.

"I consider it as a betrayal and have decided to contest as a candidate of any other party. I am in touch with leaders of the BJP, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha and the John Barla faction of the Akhil Bharatiya Adivasi Vikas Parishad. If any of these parties agrees to nominate me, it is fine. Otherwise, I will contest from the seat as an Independent," he added.

In 2011, Champramary had contested as an Independent backed by the Morcha. Later, he joined Trinamul.

"The leaders can expel me for raising my voice against their betrayal but they can't afford to remove me from my post. If I am removed, Trinamul will lose majority in the rural body," Subba said.

The zilla parishad has 18 members - 10 from Trinamul and eight from the Left Front.

Trinamul insiders said despite Subba's insistence on making him the sabhadhipati of the zilla parishad another leader from Kalchini was given the post. "He had also asked for the post of the Jaigaon Development Authority chairman but was denied," said a source.

Alipurduar district Trinamul president Sourav Chakraborty said: "If he has made any such remark before the media, I will try to know it through party machinery. We don't endorse any comment that can affect the party's image."