In a major setback to former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) state president Chandrima Bhattacharya resigned from all party positions on Saturday, just one month after her appointment. She also withdrew herself as the party's authorized representative before the Election Commission of India.
Resignation and Meeting with Rebels
Hours after sending her resignation letter to Mamata Banerjee, Chandrima was seen attending a meeting with rebel TMC MLAs in the Assembly chamber of Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee. Chandrima, however, downplayed the meeting, stating she went to the Assembly for work and sat in Ritabrata's chamber because she could not use the room allotted to the ruling party. "So, I sat in the room of the Opposition party," she said.
Reason for Resignation
Chandrima, a former minister who handled the finance and health portfolios and was considered a loyalist of Mamata, explained that her decision stemmed from a phone call in which Mamata berated her for an incident she was not involved in. "I was blamed for handing over to the rebel faction Trinamool Bhavan, party's operational headquarters, whereas I had nothing to do with this," Chandrima said. She added that she was deeply hurt when Mamata questioned her loyalty, something that had never happened before.
Background of the Crisis
Chandrima had been present at her office when the Ritabrata-led group entered Trinamool Bhavan on Friday, held a meeting, changed locks, and declared they would use the space for future gatherings. She left the premises before the rebels arrived. Following her resignation, Mamata appointed Derek O'Brien as TMC's authorized person before the Election Commission. Prior to Chandrima's exit, 58 party rebels led by Ritabrata had declared themselves the real Trinamool Congress, claiming control of the party and announcing their own organizational structure.
Rebel Activity in Parliament
The crisis has also extended to the Lok Sabha, where MPs Sudip Bandopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh led a rebellion against Mamata. Twenty TMC MPs signed off on a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and declared support for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the House. Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to decide on the petitions filed by the TMC rebels, as well as a parallel claim by the TMC faction led by Abhishek Banerjee, which has challenged the rebels to resign and contest fresh elections on the symbol of the party they wish to join.
