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CPM
rebels over ‘tainted’ Laloo man
RJD’s Hirapur
nominee Shorab Ali is scrap-dealer with criminal cases against him
Subrata Nagchoudhury
Hirapur,
Asansol, April 26: Laloo Prasad Yadav is nowhere near Asansol
district’s Hirapur, one of two seats offered by the Left Front
to the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in Bengal. But
his brand of politics has caught on here too: Hirapur’s RJD
candidate is a scrap dealer with criminal cases against him and
his nomination has sparked rebellion in the CPI(M) camp.
The local cadre
just can’t stomach Shorab Ali’s nomination. ‘‘We
don’t mind sacrificing the seat to the RJD, but under no circumstances
will we accept the nomination of a tainted figure,’’ rebel
camp leaders said.
‘‘Everyone
here knows that Shorab Ali deals in stolen iron scrap and feeds
them to his iron foundry in Howrah. Till recently, the Hirapur police
had his photo pasted at police stations,’’ said Krishnendu
Ghosh, mayor-in-council, Asansol Municipal Corporation (AMC). ‘‘Even
the Asansol GRP has cases against him.’’
The writing
is on the walls of Hirapur: Vote for the ‘‘Left-minded’’
Dilip Ghosh — Hirapur’s former local committee secretary.
‘‘Watch the wording,’’ a local youth said. ‘‘The
official Front candidate usually has the tag of ‘Left Front
supported’ along with the name’’.
Shorab Ali,
known as ‘‘Hirapur ka Hira’’, does not deny
there are cases against him. ‘‘These are fabricated. Let
the police prove the charges,’’ he said. His building
stands tall in Rahmatnagar, a colony on the outskirts of the sprawling
IISCO foundry. Ali’s a popular figure among Muslims and was
elected to the AMC with their support.
But nothing
has managed to stem the dissent. At least, 350 local committee members
have decided to flout the party ‘‘diktat’’.
Their move has invited action: the Hirapur and Burnpur committees
have been dissolved, their secretaries sacked. The Burdwan district
secretariat has been asked to take exemplary action against others.
Bamapada Mukherjee,
a veteran Asansol CPI(M) leader, said political compulsions forced
them to accommodate the RJD as an ally. ‘‘In the Bihar
polls, the CPI(M) got 21 seats from Laloo but gave them just two
in Bengal. Once we allotted Hirapur, it was up to the RJD leadership
to choose its candidate.’’
The rebels
hope to win their battle, at least locally. Reportedly, nine elected
members of the AMC are backing Dilip Ghosh. If they switch allegiance,
it will benefit Trinamool Congress and Congress. ‘‘Laloo
has done for us what our Didi couldn’t have achieved,’’
crowed a Trinamool supporter. ‘‘He has split the Left
votes.’’
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