The Enforcement Directorate (ED), last November, arrested Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) Birbhum chief Anubrata Mondal in cattle smuggling case.
Till then, Mondal used to be the tallest leader in Birbhum, with his “command" key to both the party and administration, say observers.
News18 travelled to Birbhum to check the ground reality of the region without Mondal.
‘TOLL TAX OFFICES’ CLOSED
The first visible impact of Mondal’s absence was felt at the entry point as the Siuri toll tax office was shut. “We don’t know the owner of this toll booth. But there are more than 30 such toll booths in entire Birbhum, which use to run in the name of ‘Kesto’ da. Every small car driver had to pay Rs 20 each time he crossed. The rate for trucks was higher. Now, a lot of these booths are shut," a local driver told News18.
Sources in Birbhum told News18 the toll booths were run by some people without a tender and the general notion was they were under ‘Kesto Da’.
News18 spotted a concrete structure painted in blue and white, which was not old.
Shashi, a cycle rickshaw puller, told News18: “This toll booth is closed since Mondal’s arrest. We don’t know why it is closed, but it was shut after the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and ED started their raids."
When asked about the situation after the arrest, he said, “There is peace now. No more fear of anyone."
POLITICALLY SPEAKING
While Mondal may be in jail, his graffitis remind Birbhum of him.
Amritlal, a local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader, said, “It’s good that he is not there. Now, our workers don’t face any intimidation. Earlier, for any big meeting, we could not bring people because of fear. We are concentrating on our organisation."
Leaders close to Mondal did not want to disclose their name, but said they were okay as West Bengal chief minister and TMC chief Mamata Banerjee will now take care of Birbhum organization. “But it is also true that post Mondal, more lobbies have come up and there is a fight among factions."
TMC party insiders say that they miss Mondal.
The impact will, however, fully be known in the panchayat polls.
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