KOLKATA: Hours after posting a cryptic post on Facebook hinting at his exit from politics, former Union minister Babul Supriyo on Sunday edited the post for a second time, triggering speculation about what his next move might be.
Supriyo was axed from Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet in the recent reshuffle. In the original post, he made it clear that he won’t be joining any other party. However, Supriyo edited the post and removed the part that says he won’t join any other party.
This has led to speculation that he may join another party. “I am not going to any other party— TMC, Congress, CPIM, nowhere. I am confirming that nobody has called me. I am not going anywhere,” Supriyo posted.
He later edited the posted and removed, “I am not going anywhere”. Responding to the development, a senior BJP leader said Supriyo does not want to shut all the doors. “It is a clear indication that Supriyo doesn’t want to shut all doors. Rather, he has opened it by editing the content which he had clearly kept shut in his original post. He actually fuelled the speculations of his next political move,” he said.
In his Saturday’s Facebook post, Supriyo had made it clear that there was a link between his removal from the cabinet and his decision to quit politics. He also pointed out there was difference of opinion between him and BJP’s West Bengal leadership.
In a separate post on Sunday, Supriyo uploaded the reactions of the BJP’s West Bengal president Dilip Ghosh and TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh to his Facebook post announcing his exit. “Some people used language according to their choice. I will answer their comments by delivering without being an MP. I will feel good if I can build up a hospital in the name of my mother in Asansol,’’ he wrote.