Several party leaders have publicly spoken out against Mamata and Abhishek’s Banerjee’s leadership of the party, after the TMC suffered a massive defeat against the BJP in Bengal.
Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing an existential crisis in West Bengal after a massive defeat to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the recently-concluded election, with several party leaders questioning the top leadership.
After the BJP ended the TMC’s 15-year reign in Bengal with a historic mandate, there has been visible dissent within Mamata Banerjee’s beleaguered party, particularly focusing on her nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s “high-handedness”. The matter escalated when the TMC suspended three spokespersons for six years over alleged anti-party activities.
TMC spokespersons Kohinoor Majumdar, Riju Dutta and Kartik Ghosh were suspended for allegedly violating party discipline. Show-cause notices had also been served on Krishnendu Chowdhury and Papiya Ghosh, seeking explanations within 24 hours.
‘I’m Not A Nepo Kid’
Riju Dutta, who attracted action after praising the BJP’s efforts to curb post-poll violence, has been outspoken on social media after his expulsion from the party. “After giving 13 yrs of my Youth to AITC, working incessantly to prove myself, rising through the ranks due to sheer performance (because I, am NOT a nepo kid) – my beloved party has SUSPENDED ME FOR 6 YEARS!” he said in his first reaction.
He also released a video on X, apologising to newly-appointed Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders for his past “abusive” remarks, claiming that he was following the party line and had been under intense pressure and threats from within the TMC to make those remarks when Adhikari was Leader of the Opposition.
Speaking to CNN-News18, Riju Dutta said he had even reached out to the senior leadership in Delhi for protection, and a local BJP MLA came forward to help him. He also claimed that Adhikari actually helped save the lives of at least 5,000 TMC workers after the elections.
Abhishek Banerjee At Centre Of Criticism
Meanwhile, Kohinoor Majumdar earlier told reporters that party leaders often had to wait for hours to meet TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. Senior TMC leader Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury from Malda, where the party performed poorly, criticised the style of functioning and the treatment of senior leaders in the party, reported NDTV.
Arunava Sen, a four-time MLA from Bagnan in Howrah, directly criticised Mamata Banerjee, saying if he were the CM, he would have resigned immediately after such a defeat. TMC MP and actor Dev also accused the party leadership of making false promises, signalling a breakdown in intra-party communication.
Papiya Ghosh, the daughter of senior Cooch Behar TMC leader Rabindranath Ghosh, also criticised Abhishek Banerjee publicly, prompting the party to take action against her.
Niamot Sheikh, TMC’s MLA from Murshidabad, told The Indian Express that the leadership allowed factionalism in the party, which ultimately led to the defeat. “There are so many factions of the party in Murshidabad itself. I have repeatedly warned the party’s higher-ups regarding this. I was ignored. They thought it was better not to pay heed to me,” he said.
