KOLKATA: After a split in its state legislative wing, Trinamool Congress's parliamentary party is also facing a division, with several MPs already in New Delhi or expected to arrive by next week. Anticipating this development during a party National Working Committee meeting at her residence on Friday, Mamata Banerjee clipped the wings of national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee by appointing senior MPs Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen as joint national secretaries.
Reasons Behind the Mutiny
Abhishek Banerjee's growing clout and style of functioning are cited as primary reasons for the unrest within the party. Mamata Banerjee herself will reach Delhi on June 8, along with Abhishek and Derek, to attend the INDIA bloc meeting. Trinamool has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha, and a two-thirds split—required to bypass the anti-defection law—would necessitate at least 19 MPs forming a separate bloc.
Disgruntled MPs and Their Movements
Among the disgruntled MPs, Jagadish Chandra Basunia from Cooch Behar is already in Delhi, ostensibly to visit an ailing relative. Two actor-MPs are also expected to reach the capital next week. Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who continued her criticism of the party leadership on Friday, denied any role in attempting to split the parliamentary party. "I refute allegations that I am trying to create a rift within the parliamentary party and trying to influence other MPs. I am in Kolkata and have not been to Delhi," she said.
Party Reshuffle and New Appointments
Four Lok Sabha MPs—Abhishek Banerjee, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Kalyan Banerjee, and Mala Roy—attended the meeting at Mamata's Kalighat residence. Two other Lok Sabha MPs, Sajda Ahmed and Saayoni Ghosh, were given important party posts on Friday: Sajda as party vice-president and Saayoni as Trinamool Youth Congress chief. Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra, Dum Dum MP Saugata Roy, and Bardhaman-Durgapur MP Kirti Azad did not attend Friday's meeting but have expressed support for Mamata Banerjee.
Saugata Roy commented, "Operation Lotus is BJP's politics. They try to break parties through money power and threats. BJP has done this in Maharashtra and Bihar. We have to face it. Initially, it will be very disappointing, but if one can hold out, we can absorb the immediate impact." Other MPs have not clearly stated their positions. Murshidabad MP Abu Taher Khan was non-committal, saying, "Whoever remains in control of the party, I will toe the party line and will do what the party asks me to do."
Leadership Changes and Reactions
Ritabrata Banerjee, who led the split in the party's legislative wing, said he had not spoken to any MP in the past seven days but added, "Nobody can say what will happen tomorrow. Have patience." A senior party member from the national working committee stated, "The party is not blind to the developments. The party has reviewed the election results and decided that Abhishek's workload needs to be shared. Mamata Banerjee has put in place a collective leadership." Veteran MP Sudip Bandopadhyay said, "Mamata Banerjee is confident that she will bring things back under her control very soon."
Complete Overhaul of Party Setup
On Friday, Mamata Banerjee completely overhauled the party structure, appointing Chandrima Bhattacharya as state unit president, replacing Subrata Bakshi. Chandrima will be assisted by four vice-presidents: MPs Sajda Ahmed and Mamata Thakur, MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay, and Swati Khandekar. MP Mala Roy will head the women's wing. Madan Mitra will lead the party's hawker union, and former labour minister Moloy Ghatak will replace Ritabrata in the trade union wing. Aroop Biswas will no longer serve as party treasurer; Subhasish Chakraborty will take over the post.
Regarding rebels who claimed they were misled into believing Mamata would be chief of the rebel bloc, MP Kalyan Banerjee said, "We can't simply act on what they said to the media. They may later deny it. If they believe they have been misled, let them write to Mamata Banerjee, then it can be decided. But I would suggest that they go back to their electorate, hold a party workers' meet, and get it endorsed that they have abandoned Mamata Banerjee and Trinamool but would still like to be their MLA."
