Despite losing the West Bengal Election, the crisis for Mamata Banerjee is not settling. In the latest internal crisis, the rebel faction has claimed to have removed TMC chief Mamata Banerjee from the position of chairperson and established a parallel leadership structure.
The dissident group, which is led by Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly Ritabrata Banerjee, said it has the backing of a sizeable section of the party’s legislators and functionaries. The faction also claimed support from several prominent leaders, including former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, a longtime associate of Mamata Banerjee.
West Bengal Political Crisis: Rebels Claim Support of Dozens of MLAs and Councillors
The suspended party leader, Riju Dutta, stated that the rebel faction identifying itself as the “real” Trinamool Congress held a National Working Meeting at a hotel in Kolkata’s New Town area. It is reported that the rebel group is being supported by over 60 MLAs and around 70 councillors from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation.
The rebel camp held a meeting on Monday where they announced the formation of a 30-member national working committee, and described it as the legitimate organisational body of the party.
Mamata Banerjee Sacked, New Leadership Announced
In the new party leadership, Arup Roy has been named as chairperson. Aroop Biswas, Firhad Hakim, Rathin Ghosh and Sabina Yasmin have been appointed vice presidents. While Ritabrata Banerjee, Biplab Mitra, Javed Khan and Sandipan Saha have been named general secretaries.
The surprising part is that neither Mamata Banerjee nor her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who is considered the second most influential leader in the party, was included in the committee.
Constitutional Dispute at the Centre of the Rebellion
Explaining the move, Ritabrata Banerjee argued that the party constitution requires the national working committee to be reconstituted every three years.
While explaining this movie, Ritabrata Banerjee argued that the party constitution requires the national working committee to be reconstituted every three years. He also stated that the last committee was formed in February 2022, and since then, it has not been renewed. The Rebel leaders have described the situation as a “constitutional crisis” within the organisation and said the New Town meeting was convened to address that issue.
Riju Dutta also indicated that a formal battle over the party’s logo and bank accounts could soon begin between the Mamata Banerjee-led faction and the rebel group.
TMC Internal Crisis: Official Responds With Disciplinary Action
The official Trinamool Congress leadership has moved swiftly against those linked to the rebellion. The party’s disciplinary committee issued show-cause notices to several leaders, including Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Arup Roy, Javed Khan, Rathin Ghosh, Biplab Mitra, Snehasis Chakraborty and Sabina Yasmin. They have been accused of engaging in activities considered harmful to the party’s interests. This latest development comes only days after Mamata Banerjee-led TMC expelled Ritabrata Banerjee for alleged anti-party activities.
