Mamata's dream of seeing nephew as king will fail: Trinamool leader

Kolkata, Feb 25 (IANS) Dissent in West Bengal's ruling Trinamool Congress escalated Wednesday with a party leader saying Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee's dream of passing the mantle to her nephew will not succeed.

Trinamool leader from Murshidabad district and former state animal resources development minister Humayun Kabir also said that the widening gulf between party's national general secretary Mukul Roy and the leadership will eventually lead to the Bengal government's downfall.

"It's Roy who has been running the Trinamool but now Banerjee is aspiring to make her nephew (Abhishek Banerjee) the king," Kabir said.

"But the people will not fulfill her aspiration. It's not her, rather the people of Bengal will decide who will be the next chief minister. I feel her aspirations will not be fulfilled."

With the Trinamool continuing to distance itself from Roy - once the second in command, Kabir said the Banerjee government might be reduced to a minority and the chief minister will have to resign.

"I have doubts if she will be able to continue as the chief minister. Right now, she has 191 members, if 50 of them leave then her government will be reduced to a minority and she will have to resign."

He said Roy had recently said that one has to earn a position on the basis of his ability. "There are 77,000 polling stations, of which at least in 30,000 Mukul Roy is directly connected to."

"Earlier Mamata Banerjee used to rush to the cause of the people, but after assuming power she is now least concerned," said Kabir slamming her for trying to project Abhishek as her heir.

Kabir also charged party's Murshidabad observer and singer Indranil Sen of plotting to murder him.

"Sen is misusing power and threatening police and administrative officers and giving patronage to extortionists. As I have been raising my voice, Sen is conspiring to get me killed," he said.

Sen, in reply to Kabir's allegations said, "It seems he has lost his mental balance. I pray for his speedy recovery."

Kabir, who won the 2011 assembly polls on a Congress ticket, switched over to the Trinamool and was inducted into the Mamata Banerjee cabinet in 2012. However, he had to resign after losing the by-poll from Rejinagar constituency.

The development comes on a day when Trinamool suspended its MLA from Suri, Swapan Kanti Ghosh, on disciplinary ground after he staged a demonstration at the assembly premises alleging misappropriation of funds meant for central projects.