Babul Supriyo has second thoughts after meeting JP Nadda, says will stay MP
Babul Supriyo said he was firm on his decision to quit politics but has decided to stay as Lok Sabha MP in view of his “constitutional responsibility”
KOLKATA: Former Union minister Babul Supriyo, who announced his decision to quit politics and Lok Sabha over the weekend, said in Delhi on Monday evening that he had reviewed his decision announced on Facebook on July 31 and decided to stay in Parliament.
“I have a constitutional responsibility,” said the 50-year-old Bollywood singer-turned-politician after meeting Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president J P Nadda in national capital Delhi.
Supriyo did not elaborate on his conversation with Nadda but said he remains firm on his decision to quit politics.
“It is my personal decision and I am not going to change it. I may move either to Kolkata or Mumbai. I will not engage in any political activity,” said the two-time MP from Asansol in Bengal’s West Burdwan district.
“People of Asansol have asked me to stay as their MP,” he said.
He said he will give up his security cover, the bungalow in Delhi and other facilities he is entitled to as a Lok Sabha member. “You may soon see me earning my living through other means, singing for example,” Supriyo told the media in a lighter mood. He refused to say why he decided to quit politics.
Bengal BJP vice-president Jay Prakash Majumdar said Babul Supriyo’s decision to continue in Parliament is entirely his. “There is no ground to believe that Nadda or any other central leader have put pressure on him.”
Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders earlier insisted that Supriyo’s Facebook posts reflect his immaturity in politics. TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh even dubbed it as “a drama”.
On Monday, senior TMC legislator Tapas Roy said, “Babul has once again shown his immaturity.”
Supriyo, a former minister of state for environment, forest and climate change, resigned from the Union council of ministers before Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent reshuffle of his team, and wrote an emotional post on social media, saying he was “asked to resign.”
This led to some friction with Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh. On Saturday, Supriyo made the surprise announcement about his exit from politics. “I’m leaving...Alvida (farewell)...If you want to do social work, you can do it without being in politics...” Supriyo wrote on Facebook.
He unsuccessfully contested the Tollygunge seat in south Kolkata in the March-April assembly polls. He lost by around 50,000 votes, which came as a blow to the Bengal BJP.