As Murshidabad burned, Behrampore MP Yusuf Pathan played probably the most ill-timed shot of his fledgling political career.
“Easy afternoons, good chai and calm surroundings. Just soaking in the moment,” the 42-year-old former cricketer and Vadodara boy posted on Instagram, likely from outside Bengal, on Friday along with three photos of himself sipping tea.
The post, widely seen as insensitive, has earned the Trinamool MP a barrage of condemnation for his “Nero moment”, with his critics also asking why he was not in his constituency when the district was in turmoil.
While Behrampore, Pathan’s constituency, has not itself witnessed violence, it happens to be home to the district’s administrative headquarters.
A senior Trinamool leader from Calcutta acknowledged that Pathan’s post had embarrassed the party.
“This is embarrassing, no doubt. These rank outsiders — brought in from other fields and made elected representatives — sometimes backfire in a big way,” he said. “This (controversy) is momentary, but it’s unsavoury and was highly avoidable.”
Pathan, a political debutant, was the toast of Trinamool last summer when he vindicated Mamata Banerjee’s faith in him by bearding Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, the Congress’s tallest Bengal leader, in his den.
It was Adhir’s first Lok Sabha defeat after five consecutive wins.
Pathan already enjoyed a lot of goodwill cutting across party loyalties, having been part of India’s World Cup-winning squads of 2007 (T20) and 2011 (ODI), and the Kolkata Knight Riders’ successful IPL campaign of 2014.
“But he has not particularly prioritised his role as MP, or as a politician, since the landmark election victory,” the senior leader from Calcutta said. “On top of that comes this Instagram faux pas. The supreme leadership is not pleased.”
Adhir said he would not comment on Pathan’s Instagram activities while parts of his district were ablaze.
Samserganj police station, which is barely 350 metres from the violence-hit zone
“Trinamool is vastly responsible for what happened in Murshidabad. The situation is out of Trinamool’s hands now,” he said.
Humayun Kabir, Trinamool MLA from Bharatpur which is part of Pathan’s Lok Sabha constituency, said it was Behrampore voters’ “durbhagyo” (misfortune) that they had an MP who indulged in “masti” (fun) while people were in “shankat” (crisis).
Sensing a political opportunity, the BJP tore into Pathan.
“Priorities? TMC MP @iamyusufpathan is posting picture of him sipping tea and soaking in the moment while (people of a certain community) are getting slaughtered in Malda-Murshidabad region!” wrote state BJP unit chief Sukanta Majumdar on X.
“This is what happens when imports are fielded to represent Bengalis. Shameful!”
CPM central committee member Sujan Chakraborty, however, said the BJP was equally to blame for the “unhealthy, alien culture” that has led to people like Pathan and “phulbabus” (popinjays) being brought into Bengal’s electoral politics.
“Who here is actually, genuinely surprised with Pathan’s Nero moment on Instagram?” Chakraborty asked.