Former Bengal Minister Abdur Razzak Molla dies at 81 after prolonged illness

Former West Bengal minister and veteran politician Abdur Razzak Molla passed away at the age of 81 on Friday. He breathed his last at his residence in Bankra village, Bhangar, after suffering for a long time from age-related ailments.

Born on July 31, 1944, Razzak Molla was associated with the Left Front and represented the Canning East constituency continuously from 1977 to 2011. He served as the state’s Land and Land Reforms Minister from 1991 to 2011. During the 34-year rule of the Left Front in West Bengal, Molla won every election from Canning East.

In 2011, even as many senior CPI(M) leaders lost during the change of power in West Bengal, Razzak Molla retained his seat. After the defeat of the Left, he criticized the party’s handling of the Singur and Nandigram episodes and made comments against former Chief Minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee. Following this, he was expelled from CPI(M) for anti-party activities.

He went on to form the Bharatiya Nyaybichar Party on October 18, 2014. However, due to his growing proximity with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, he was expelled from the party. He later joined the Trinamool Congress and contested from Bhangar in 2016 on a TMC ticket. He won and was appointed as the Minister for Food Processing.

In 2021, he did not contest the Assembly elections. Molla later stated, “At that time, my health was not good, so I didn’t want to stand. I even wrote a letter to Mamata Banerjee informing her. I have no regrets. I am just a supporter of Trinamool now, not a member. To be a member, one has to be active, and I am not.” Since then, his political involvement reduced, and he spent his days at home due to health issues. On Friday, he died at home in Bhangar.