KOLKATA: “I was never involved in corruption. It was a blunder to join politics,” states the suicide note of the deceased former deputy speaker of West Bengal Assembly and ex-Trinamool Congress MLA from Rampurhat in Birbhum district, Asish Banerjee, who was found hanging at an office of the party on Sunday morning, police sources said.
The purported suicide note was recovered from the party office located near his residence at Hattalapara under ward number V of the Rampurhat Municipality, the sources said.
The former MLA's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. The exact circumstances leading to his death are yet to be ascertained, sources added.
The suicide note written in Bengali on his letterhead pad of Ex-associate professor of the Rampurhat College in the district Ashish said, “No one is responsible for my death.”
The five-time Trinamool MLA from Rampurhat constituency has also repented for joining politics in the note and advised all members of his family not to get involved in politics.
During the Trinamool Congress regime the former Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had also made him state school education minister in her cabinet. He has also repeatedly claimed in the suicide note that he was never involved with any corruptions. He could never make any protest against his party’s wrongdoings, according to the suicide note.
“I was involved with politics since my student life. But I was never involved in corruptions in my life. I was a general secretary of the students’ union in Bardhaman University but never involved in corruptions. We had differences in our political ideology but there was no enmity. I could never protest against the party’s misdeeds. I did never take single paise against any work I have done,” he wrote in the note.
Ashish claimed in the note that he had no power in the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA) in the district. Expressing his grievances in the note, he wrote, “Besides the general meeting in theTRDA, I had no other responsibilities there. I was never in the tender committee and I had no power in issuing cheques. I was never involved in issues like approval of building plans or no-objection certificates (NoC). No one discussed anything about these issues with me. I condemned what have been doneagainst me to malign me. Today, I think that it’s a blunder to join politics. I advise boys in our family not to join politics. You do your own works.”
He didn’t mention anybody’s name who has maligned him. He also wrote, “I have done teachership throughout my life. I never skip any classes and have taken special classes. I have taught many students without taking any fees. I have got lot of love from them.”
He was defeated by BJP candidate with a margin of 24,000 votes from Rampurhat in the recently-held assembly elections in Bengal.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)
