Internal discord persists in TMC amid calls for unity ahead of Lok Sabha polls

Kolkata: Internal strife within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) showed no signs of abating on Wednesday, with senior leaders continuing to trade verbal jabs, even as the party leadership issued a subtle call for setting aside grievances and focusing on the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.

The recent controversy unfolded after West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC leader Mamata Banerjee had in November advocated the need to give due respect to senior members and rejected the notion that elderly leaders should retire from active politics.

Following this, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee's nephew, proposed a retirement age in politics, citing declining work efficiency and productivity with advancing age. The party has since become a battleground for allegations and counter-allegations between senior and young leaders.

The tensions reached a new low when five-time TMC MLA Tapas Ray criticised veteran leader and TMC's Lok Sabha party leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, accusing him of compromising the party's interests for personal political gains.

Ray emphasised, "We are loyal soldiers of the TMC. We have given our entire life for the party. We are neither tainted nor have been in prison on corruption charges."

Referring to Bandopadhyay's past arrest in the Rose Valley scam in January 2017, Ray questioned his contributions to the party and accused him of insulting old and tested party workers.

Ray said, "What has he done for the party apart from insulting old and tested party workers? He is now trying to create a division within the party. The kind of insult he has hurled at me for the last 15 years is unacceptable. I want justice."

In response, senior TMC minister Firhad Hakim urged everyone to refrain from making such remarks in public domain and instead address issues through internal discussions within the party.

"Everyone should stop making such remarks in the public domain and sort out issues through discussions within the party," he said.

During a closed-door organisational meeting with the Bankura district unit, TMC leader Subrata Bakshi encouraged party workers to set aside grievances and work unitedly for the party.

The debate gained momentum on the party's foundation day on Monday when TMC state president Subrata Bakshi, known for his loyalty to Mamata Banerjee, expressed hope that Abhishek Banerjee would contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election with Mamata Banerjee's photo and not shy away from the field.

He said, "Abhishek Banerjee is our national general secretary. Naturally, if Abhishek fights this election, we are sure that he will not back down from the fray. If he fights, he will fight with the photo of Mamata Banerjee and the party symbol."

Bakshi's statement drew objections from the party's state general secretary Kunal Ghosh who called for a retraction.

Ghosh emphasised, "I respect the state president, but I have objections to his phrasing of words. It is never desired. Abhishek is still in the fray. If the party listens to what he (Abhishek) wants to say, it is good for the party."

In November, Ghosh, who is also the party spokesperson, addressed rumours of a power struggle, asserting that there is no conflict between the old and new factions, emphasising the necessity of both Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for the party.

This ongoing controversy recalls a two-year-old internal struggle within the TMC between the old guard and the younger faction.

Amidst rumours of an alleged power struggle in January 2022, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee dissolved all national office-bearer committees, including the post of national general secretary held by her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

Subsequently, a new committee was formed, and Abhishek was reinstated as the party's national general secretary.

Since then, Abhishek has not only gained prominence within the party but is also considered the de facto number two in the state's ruling dispensation.