By IANS,
Kolkata: After proclaiming his desire to quit the Lok Sabha and the Trinamool Congress, singer-turned-MP Kabir Suman now says he is putting his decision on hold for a week following an ‘order’ from writer Mahasweta Devi.
“I want to resign. But my parents are no more. Mahasweta Devi is like my guardian. She has ordered me to wait for seven days before sending my resignation in black and white. I will wait,” Suman said after a three-hour meeting with the Magsaysay award winning activist author at her Golf Green residence here Wednesday night.
Mahasweta Devi has been leading a group of intellectuals to back Trinamool chief Mamata Banerjee in her fight against West Bengal’s ruling Left Front for the last four years.
Both Mahasweta Devi and Suman, the MP from Jadavpur, are known for their pro-Maoist views and support to the movement spearheaded by Left-wing ultras in Lalgarh in West Midnapore district.
Suman had sent an SMS to Banerjee and three other Trinamool leaders Monday night expressing his wish to resign from the party and the Lok Sabha following months of bitterness on issues like corruption in the party and the anti-Maoist Operation Green Hunt.
Suman had said he was forced to take the decision after being insulted and ignored for months by a section of party leaders, including Banerjee.
“I am not a party slave. I am an elected people’s representative. I have not been elected by the party. I can only be a slave of the people,” an angry Suman had told a media meet Tuesday.
The popular singer-poet said the party had no business to dictate to him how he should spend his MPs’ local area development fund (MPLAD).
Though Suman did not spell out any reason for his decision in the SMS, he had told the media: “A section of Trinamool leaders had insulted me at Sonarpur in South 24 Parganas district Monday. Nobody has dared to insult me like this ever. That was the last straw.”
However, after his talks with Mahasweta Devi, Suman said he did not go public about his SMS. “I never sent any written resignation. But some of those to whom I sent the SMS disclosed it to the media. Even a letter has been sent to the Lok Sabha Speaker (Meira Kumar) quoting my SMS that I may be disqualified from the house.”
The missive was sent by Trinamool Congress parliamentary party chief whip Sudip Bandopadhyay following Banerjee’s instruction. “They seem to be in a hurry,” Suman said, taking a dig at the Trinamool leadership.
Earlier, Mahasweta Devi had advised Suman not to go to the media on every issue, and requested both the singer and Banerjee to iron out their differences face to face.