West Bengal’s TMC dispensation has sought to distance itself from Partha Chatterjee, who is caught in the vortex of multiple corruption inquires by central agencies, by sacking him from the State cabinet and party positions, but that cuts no ice with the wider society. Skeletons tumbled out of his closet, as investigators seized at least ₹50 crore worth of cash and valuables from a close associate of Mr. Chatterjee, who has been a key power centre in the TMC. He was in charge of four portfolios in the State government and held several party posts including that of secretary general. TMC has weathered many storms — the Narada tapes and Saradha chit fund scam hit the party hard, but it won its second term comfortably in 2016; there were allegations of corruption over welfare schemes, but it got a third term last year beating back the BJP. There were a series of protests in several districts in 2020 where villagers accused TMC panchayat functionaries of taking money for availing of government benefits and disaster relief. The party managed to hold its ground as its matriarch Mamata Banerjee stayed above the fray, thanks to her reputation of austere simplicity. But that is no eternal guarantee of popularity or public trust, and the TMC’s refusal to come to Mr. Chatterjee’s defence is an admission of that fact.
It is unclear whether the seized cash and valuables are indeed proceeds of the crime that is currently being investigated by the CBI and the ED, but that is beside the point. The mere fact that a key functionary of the ruling party is linked to such enormous amounts of unaccounted wealth speaks to the rot that has set in the party, despite the ideals that Ms. Banerjee hopes to represent, not merely within West Bengal but across the country. The West Bengal School Service Commission scam involves multiple cases where irregularities in the recruitments for state-run schools had come to the fore from 2016 onwards. The allegations are that candidates who did well in the recruitment process held by the School Service Commission were sidelined and jobs were given for monetary and political considerations. The sacking of Mr. Chatterjee may not end the agony of TMC. In fact, it might only increase the difficulties for the party, even as the BJP designs newer strategies to plant its flag in West Bengal.
