Kolkata: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate list for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections in West Bengal has stirred controversy with the nomination of Swapan Majumder for the Barasat constituency.
Majumder’s alleged involvement in an international drug smuggling ring and subsequent arrest now lead to questions over BJP’s anti-corruption plank in the state.
Majumder is a long-time BJP leader in the North 24 Parganas district. He is currently the sitting MLA of Bangaon Dakshin constituency. He was arrested at Guwahati in 2017 while travelling on a train bound for Howrah in Bengal for his alleged involvement in a drug trafficking case in Guwahati. Police had said that he had a substantial amount of heroin with him.
In the affidavit submitted during the previous assembly election, Majumder disclosed his involvement in the NDPS Act case. Speaking to The Wire, Majumder alleged that the entire incident was a conspiracy orchestrated by the Trinamool Congress.
“The police put a bag in the coach before I boarded the train and framed me. I was in jail for nine months. Later, I was released on bail. I am a contractor by profession. I am a full-time BJP worker since 2014. TMC is on a shaky ground in Bangaon. That’s why they are bringing these old cases up again,” claimed Majumder.
Notably, Majumder was arrested in Assam, which has been ruled by BJP since 2016. The Government Railway Police charged him for being part of an international criminal syndicate operating in the border regions of Manipur and Nagaland. The syndicate was allegedly involved in smuggling various illegal substances including prescription drugs, tablets, prohibited drugs, and gold. Railway police stated that Majumder had purchased heroin from Manipur to sell it in Kolkata.
Binu Hazarika, the then in-charge of Guwahati GRP who led the operation, claimed then that Majumder had also attempted to use his political affiliation with the BJP to evade arrest. Subsequently, the Sessions Court sentenced him to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment. Majumder was granted bail after serving nine months in jail.
In 2016, Majumder contested from Bangaon Dakshin as BJP candidate but came in third position. He has often been in the news for making controversial and inflammatory statements like threatening “police encounters like the ones seen in UP and Assam” and setting on fire a police station. In 2021, TMC accused him of misrepresenting his academic qualifications and challenged his election. This was dismissed by the court.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh criticised the BJP’s decision to nominate him, stating, “Only they can answer why the BJP nominated a drug dealer.”
Translated from the Bengali original by Aparna Bhattacharya.
