The former Chief Minister of West Bengal, Mamata Banerjee, expressed her condolences over the death of TMC leader and former Deputy Speaker of West Bengal, Asish Banerjee. On Sunday, the former five-time TMC MLA from the Rampurhat assembly constituency was found hanging inside a party office in Birbhum district. His death triggered a major row, as several TMC leaders, including party MP Abhishek Banerjee, accused the BJP and a section of media outlets of being involved in smear campaigns against him as well as other TMC (Mamata Banerjee faction) leaders.
Echoing similar sentiments, Mamata said that the veteran TMC leader was maligned, falsely accused of corruption charges, and was subjected to relentless pressure, despite being a grounded politician who shared a close bond with the people of his constituency and district.
"What makes this tragedy even more painful is the immense mental and emotional strain he appears to have endured in his final days. As a five-term MLA, former Deputy Speaker and Chairman, Asish Da dedicated himself to bringing development to Rampurhat and undertook a large number of important works for the people. Yet, despite the work he did, he was repeatedly maligned, falsely accused and subjected to relentless pressure," she wrote.
"The harassment and mental pressure he faced, despite his long record of public service, should make all of us pause and reflect on the human cost of relentless political hostility," she added, taking an indirect jibe against the ruling BJP.
Mamata also hailed Asish as someone who dedicated his entire life to teaching and other public services and finally concluded by saying that his absence would always be felt.
A day before his death, Asish Banerjee had attended an Independence Day celebration at the party office where his body was later found. Police also recovered a suicide note from the spot. In the note, originally written in Bengali, Banerjee maintained that he was innocent of the allegations of wrongdoing linked to the Tarapith Rampurhat Development Authority (TRDA), where he had previously served as chairperson.
As allegations involving discrepancies in the civic planning and development agency's tender-related decisions, cheque issuance, plan approvals or no-objection certificates were levelled against him, Banerjee said he never played any role in those matters. He also said that attempts were made to malign him.
In the letter, he also said that entering politics was a mistake.
As a politician, Banerjee had an illustrious career. His first electoral success came in the year 2001, when he clinched the Rampurhat assembly seat, which was then considered a Left bastion, from Mahammad Hannan of Forward Bloc (a Left Front coalition). In the subsequent years, he only strengthened his hold over the constituency as he emerged victorious for four consecutive times.
His unstoppable run came to a halt this year as he suffered a defeat in the 2026 Bengal assembly polls. BJP's Dhruba Saha outperformed him in the electoral battle by nearly 24,000 votes. After his defeat, Asish was not seen much in party activities.
Following his death, the Diamond Harbour MP and Trinamool's national general secretary said that Asish's death was a result of sustained 'smear campaigns' that he had to endure after the party's heavy electoral setback.
"His final note raises serious and troubling questions about the sustained smear campaign he said he had endured. The BJP and sections of the MEDIA must reflect on the consequences of a politics where allegations are amplified, reputations are put on trial, and individuals are condemned in the court of public opinion before the truth is established," he wrote.
He further said that political battles should not come at the cost of someone's life.
Meanwhile, party MLA and spokesperson Kunal Ghosh lambasted the BJP and the Trinamool faction led by Bengal's Leader of the Opposition, Ritabrata Banerjee. Through a slew of Facebook posts, Ghosh claimed that Asish fell prey to the rising threat culture in Bengal under the BJP rule.
He also alleged that the current LoP was acting as a safeguard for the Suvendu Adhikari government following the incident.
Source: India Today