She does not have much cash in hand to show off, but Independent candidate from Kolkata South and Jadavpur constituencies, Shamali Das, is worth a jaw-dropping Rs. 2,000 crore.
A descendant of Rani Rashmoni, the legendary widow of a zamindar who dared to confront the British to protect the poor, the 56-year-old Das has inherited vast tracts of real estate in and around Kolkata, including the famous Dakhineshwar Temple Rashmoni built.
In her affidavit to the Election Commission, Das declared property worth Rs. 2,000 crore. She had only Rs. 20,000 in cash and owned jewellery worth just Rs. 40,000. “I was married at a very young age to Rani Rashmoni’s grandson, who is no more. I am the inheritor of all the property now,” the candidate, who lives in the sprawling Rani Rashmoni Bhavan in South Kolkata, said.
Frequent litigation over the many properties she owns has made the otherwise Class VIII school dropout an expert in law related to property. “I decided to enter politics to fight for those who have been deprived like me. In 2010, I contested the municipal polls as a BJP nominee but local leaders would not let me speak my mind. So I left and joined the Hindustan Nirman Party,” said Shamali Debi, as she is referred to.
Das has little inkling about politics and she is not interested. “I have no political statement. I don’t want to indulge in mud-slinging. I want to carry forward the legacy of Rani Rashmoni who dared the British.” Her famous ancestor blocked the Ganges when the British imposed taxes on poor fishermen, which invited huge penalties from the foreign rulers. But faced with a massive public backlash, the British finally withdrew the penalty. Later, Rashmoni donated generously for the Presidency College and the then Imperial Library now known as the National Library. She also founded the Dakshineswar Temple and appointed Ramakrishna as head priest.
“I fought a long legal battle and now the Dakshineswar temple is in my name,” Das said proudly, adding she had little faith in trusts.
Her agenda is clear. “I have been fighting the real estate mafia in Kolkata who now want to grab my home and have been threatening me. But I will not cow down. I want to unite people whose inherited properties are being grabbed by these mafias and stop this menace. At times I feel scared and that is why I have not involved my sons in my crusade,” she said.
Her two sons, Abhijit and Amlan, are in their early 30s. While Abhijit works in a pathological laboratory and lives separately with his family, Amlan runs a printing press.
Das’s main source of income is the meagre rent of around `10,000 she earns per month from some tenants at Rani Rashmoni’s famous palace at Janbazar in central Kolkata. “The property I declared is far less than what I actually own as many are under litigation. The present Salt Lake, New Town and large tracts of land in the adjoining districts are owned by me,” Das claimed.
A diabetic and hyper-tension patient, Das has kept her campaigning to the minimum. “I had gone out for some meetings. But Hindustan Nirman Party members told me they were being threatened by Trinamool Congress members whenever they were campaigning in my favour.”
She is philosophical about her chances. “Victory is in God’s hands. My wish is to protect people’s rights,” she said.