Kolkata: Babul Supriyo, BJP MP from Asansol has disclosed that it was Baba Ramdev who got the BJP ticket for him.
In a signed column for a leading Bengali newspaper, Babul Supriyo has disclosed that on February 28 he found himself sitting next to the yoga guru on a flight and overheard him discussing ticket distribution with somebody.
According to Suprio, he told the yoga guru jocularly, “Baba I also want a ticket. And if you do not give it, I will tell the media how you are giving tickets to people.”
According to Supriyo, Baba Ramdev was taken aback and he asked his personal secretary to take down the number of the Bollywood singer.
On March 1, Supriyo got a call from a person who identified himself as Rakesh, a pracharak of the RSS.
Rakesh told Babul Suriyo,“Baba has told us about you. How much money will you be able to spend? The limit is Rs 70 lakh but some people spend more than that.”
A surprised Supriyo told Rakesh, “I love Modiji and that is why I want to contest.”
Three days later Supriyo got a call from Baba Ramdev who informed him that his candidature has been confirmed.
Supriyo writes that he told Ramdev he would not be able to spend the money required.
“That will be taken care of by the BJP. But you promise to me that you will learn Pavan Mukta asana (a pose to release gas),” a laughing Ramdev told Supriyo.
On March 7, BJP state president Rahul Sinha asked Supriyo if he would contest from Asansol.
“Why Asansol?” Supriyo asked. “Because Asansol is a Hindi belt and you speak that language well. We believe if we work hard, we can win that seat,” Sinha said.
Babul Supriyo pulled off a remarkable victory from Asansol Lok Sabha constituency by defeating his nearest rival Dola Sen of the Trinamool Congress by a margin of over 70,000 votes.
