Trinamool Congress on Thursday expelled Malda-based party leader Narendranath Tiwari, a day after the police arrested him in connection with the murder of his party colleague Dulal Sarkar.
“According to the directive of our state leaders, we are expelling Narendranath Tiwari from the party for six years,” Abdur Rahim Boxi, the Malda district TMC president, announced at the party office on Thursday.
Boxi was accompanied by Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, the chairman of the Englishbazar municipality. Sarkar, the slain TMC leader, was a councillor of the same civic body.
On January 2, Sarkar was gunned down by criminals near his plywood factory in Malda town.
Chief minister Mamata Banerjee had lambasted the district police for withdrawing Sarkar’s security cover.
The police nabbed five youths, including two from Bihar, who are suspected to be contract killers. On Wednesday, the police arrested Tiwari, president of the Englishbazar town block committee of Trinamool and the district president of the TMC Hindi cell. With him, Malda’s Swapan Sharma, who has murder cases pending against him, was arrested.
Senior police officers said Tiwari and Sharma hired gunmen by paying them around ₹50 lakh.
A veteran TMC leader pointed out that infighting among party leaders was not uncommon across political parties. “But hiring contract killers to murder a party colleague because of political differences is something we have not heard in recent years, at least in our party. It shocked all of us,” he said.
Malda TMC insiders said Tiwari was disgruntled with Sarkar, accusing him of sabotaging his and his wife Anju’s political careers.
In 2018, when Tiwari joined the TMC, he became the town block president, but the party didn’t perform well in the 2019 and 2021 polls under his leadership.
“In 2022, Tiwari didn’t get the councillor’s ticket which irked him. He backed an Independent who contested against Dulal Sarkar. When his wife lost to a BJP candidate, he accused Sarkar of causing the defeat,” said a party leader.
Civic chairman Choudhury said: “Tiwari vowed to kill Sarkar and he told the same to many people. Police have arrested the right person.”
His remarks have not gone down well with many in the TMC.
“If he knew Tiwari would kill Dulal Sarkar, he should have told the police,” said a TMC leader. “What is the point in making such remarks now? We have to revive our party’s image. Such comments are making our job tough.”
The police are yet to nail the motive behind the murder. “There may be political rivalries… but we doubt if it is the only reason,” said an officer, adding four teams were formed to nab suspected gunmen in this case, Krishna Rajak and Bablu Yadav.