Kabir, who has emerged as a significant player in Bengal’s minority politics, said he would not attend the state assembly as long as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari remained in office, and apologised to the people of Naoda for the decision.
“If Suvendu Adhikari remains the chief minister, I will not go to the assembly. I will seek forgiveness from the people of Naoda,” Kabir said, fighting back tears.
Kabir also indicated that he could take voluntary retirement from politics, saying he had become disillusioned with the democratic system and the treatment meted out to him.
“I will take voluntary retirement from politics. In such a democratic system, it is not possible to fight against the state,” he said.
Kabir said he would continue to work for the people of Naoda, and ensure that public services in the constituency remained functional, despite his decision to stay away from the assembly.
The AJUP chief made it clear that he would not participate in assembly proceedings, including meetings of the Minority Affairs Committee, House committees, the Business Advisory Committee, all-party meetings or those called by the Speaker.”The seat reserved for me will remain vacant,” Kabir said, adding that he would seek the opinion of the people of Naoda before deciding whether to give up his assembly membership altogether.
His remarks came a day after high-voltage polling in Rejinagar, where he was arrested following a confrontation with the police outside his party office. The MLA was released after nearly 12 hours in custody.
Police had accused him of using abusive language, attempting to influence voters and making provocative remarks, after casting his vote. Kabir has alleged that the police and administration were responsible for “stealing” the election.
“Why should I accept a democracy where a police sub-inspector can forcibly take away an elected MLA without any valid reason, and keep him in custody for 12 hours? I hate such a democracy,” he asserted.
The arrest became the most dramatic episode of polling in Rejinagar, where Kabir’s son Golam Nabi Azad is contesting the bypoll on an AJUP ticket.
On Wednesday, Kabir predicted a big BJP victory in Rejinagar, but insisted that such an outcome would not reflect the popular mandate.
“The BJP will win Rejinagar. But this is not the people’s verdict. The police and administration have stolen the election,” he alleged.
Kabir also claimed that Adhikari had assured him months ago that his son would win the seat by around 30,000 votes, saying he now felt betrayed.
“When I had met Adhikari a few months ago, he had told me that my son would win, not by the massive margin I had got earlier but by around 30,000 votes. I did not say anything then. But, today I feel betrayed,” he said.
The bypoll result is due on October 9.
Kabir had won both Naoda and Rejinagar in the assembly elections and subsequently retained Naoda, vacating Rejinagar. His decision to field his son from the seat added a personal dimension to a contest being closely watched for its implications for the BJP and the opposition in a minority-dominated region.
The 62-year-old politician began with the Congress, moved to the TMC in 2012 and became a minister, briefly joined the BJP, unsuccessfully contested the 2019 Lok Sabha polls and returned to the Trinamool Congress before the 2021 polls. After a series of public disagreements with the TMC leadership, he was expelled from the party in December last year.
He subsequently floated the Aam Janata Unnayan Party (AJUP) ahead of the assembly elections and contested from two constituencies in Murshidabad, winning both. Though AJUP secured only two seats, its entry into the electoral fray was significant in Muslim-majority constituencies, where it sought to draw support away from the TMC.
Kabir had also courted controversy over his proposal to build a mosque in Murshidabad modelled on the demolished Babri Masjid, drawing criticism from political opponents.
