Veteran Left leader and former West Bengal minister Abdur Rezzak Molla passed away on Friday morning at his ancestral home in Bankra village near Milan Bazar in Bhangar, South 24-Parganas.
He was 80.
Family sources confirmed that his final rites will be performed at his native residence, where he had been staying for the past four to five years due to age-related ailments. Chief minister Mamata Banerjee expressed her condolences on her X-handle, stating: “I am deeply saddened by the passing of my former cabinet colleague Abdur Rezzak Molla. I held him in high regard and respected his vast knowledge and experience in rural life, agrarian economy, and land reforms in Bengal. Though he came from a different political background, his alignment with the ‘Maa-Mati-Manush’ government was natural and effortless. His demise leaves an irreplaceable void in Bengal’s political sphere. I extend my heartfelt condolences to his family, followers, and well-wishers.”
Former CPI-M minister Kanti Gangul paid a visit Molla’s home to pay his last respects. Rezzak Molla’s political journey spanned across three regimes – from Jyoti Basu and Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee to Mamata Banerjee. He was first elected as an MLA from Bhangar in 1972 on a CPI-M ticket and went on to serve as the state’s land reforms minister from 1982 under the Left Front government. Known for his rustic persona, he often described himself as a “farmer’s son.” However, his relationship with Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee during the latter’s tenure as chief minister was strained. Molla often made critical remarks about Buddhadeb’s leadership, including a controversial comment in 2011 after the Left Front’s electoral defeat: “He can’t catch a snake, let alone hold it.” Molla was a vocal critic of the CPI-M’s aggressive land acquisition policy during the Singur movement, and even questioned the role of the party’s peasant wing. At one point, he met CPI-M general secretary Prakash Karat in Delhi without informing the state leadership to express his discontent. The CPI-M Politburo later issued a warning to the state unit over the handling of land issues, acknowledging flaws in the acquisition process. Following the regime change in 2011, Molla joined the Trinamul Congress ahead of the 2016 Assembly election. He won the election and became a minister in Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet, serving until 2021. After that, he withdrew from active politics due to health issues.
Sources close to him revealed that in his final years, Molla often expressed disappointment that while some of his old comrades from the CPI-M checked in on his health, members of the ruling party largely stayed away. However, his one-time protégé and current TMC MLA from Canning East, Saokat Molla, did visit him, which reportedly moved the ailing veteran deeply. Saokat Molla, along with Sattar Molla, had once been considered Molla’s closest aides in his political journey. Rezzak Molla’s death marks the end of an era in Bengal politics, remembered for his sharp tongue, grassroots connect, and decades-long presence in the state’s political landscape.