Bengal: Tapas Paul’s wife accuses Mamata Banerjee of betrayal
Kolkata: Nandini Mukherjee Paul, wife of the late Bengali actor and former Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Tapas Paul, on Tuesday made explosive allegations against former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.
She alleged that Mamata abandoned Tapas Paul during the toughest phase of his life, pushing him towards his death.
Since the Assembly election debacle, internal conflicts within the TMC have come to the fore. Several MLAs have avoided meetings called by Mamata Banerjee, accusing the party of forging signatures. There is also speculation about resignations. Meanwhile, 50 MLAs are reportedly preparing to submit signatures against party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to the Speaker of the Legislative Assembly. This atmosphere of unease has been intensified by Nandini Paul’s latest accusations.
In a social media post, Nandini attacked Mamata Banerjee without naming her, citing a comment by TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh. She wrote that she felt uneasy after hearing Ghosh repeatedly speak about conscience on a television channel, and questioned where Mamata’s conscience was 20–25 years ago.
She asked whether people voted for TMC candidates in 2001, 2006, and 2009 solely because of Mamata’s popularity, suggesting instead that her late husband, Tapas Paul, played a decisive role.
Tapas Paul was a two-time TMC MLA and a two-time Lok Sabha MP. He first became MLA in 2001 and again in 2006, when TMC was in Opposition, and later won the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha seat in 2009.
Nandini Paul indicated that Tapas Paul’s electoral victories were due to his personal popularity rather than Mamata Banerjee’s influence. She further alleged that he was used for political purposes, subjected to prolonged mental anguish, and ultimately pushed to the brink of death.
She also questioned the sudden change in chemistry between Mamata Banerjee and Kunal Ghosh, who had once been a fierce critic of Mamata and held her responsible for his arrest in the Saradha chit fund scam.
Targeting Ghosh, she wrote that he had earlier made serious allegations against Mamata but has now completely changed his stance. She asked whether this was due to ideology, situational necessity, or some other reason, adding that the public has the right to know the explanation for such a change.