• Source:JND

Following Trinamool Congress’s major electoral setback in the Bengal Assembly elections, the rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), led by leader of the opposition and Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, on Monday named senior party MLA Arup Roy as the chairperson of what it described as the "real" TMC.

Ritabrata Banerjee also said that a new national working committee of the party has been formed.

As part of this reshuffle, Howrah Central MLA Arup Roy has been appointed chairman, while former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has been removed from the post. Similarly, Abhishek Banerjee has been removed as National General Secretary, with new office-bearers announced in their place.

The Trinamool Congress was founded by Mamata Banerjee in January 1998 after she left the Congress party. She has led the party since its inception and served as West Bengal’s Chief Minister for 15 years before the TMC was voted out of power in the assembly elections held in April.

The latest developments signal the sharpest organisational challenge yet to Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and founder chairperson Mamata Banerjee, whose grip over the party appears increasingly under pressure amid successive rebellions by MLAs and MPs following the party’s defeat in the assembly elections.

Rebel TMC faction forms new national working committee

After the budget session concluded, a meeting of rebel MLAs was held at a hotel in New Town. The faction claimed that around 60 MLAs and nearly 70 former councillors from Kolkata attended the gathering. During the meeting, the formation of a 30-member new national working committee was announced.

In the meeting, while the TMC party symbol was prominently displayed, portraits of Mahatma Gandhi, Rabindranath Tagore and B R Ambedkar adorned the stage. Photographs of Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, who have long been central faces of the party were not present on the stage, according to a PTI report.

The rebel camp stated that the meeting was convened to address what it described as a "constitutional crisis" within the organisation.

The leaders cited Section 20 of the TMC constitution, arguing that a meeting of the national working committee is required every three years, but no such meeting has been held since 2022. On this basis, they passed a resolution to dissolve the existing committee and form a new one.

"The organisational structure was not renewed after the expiry of its tenure. Therefore, it became necessary to initiate the process of reconstituting the party''s national leadership," a leader present at the meeting quoted Banerjee as saying.

ALSO READ: PM Modi's Big Remark On Action Against TMC Leaders: 'Those Who Looted Public Money Are Being Sent To Jail'

Claim of the “real TMC” by the rebel group

In the newly announced committee, former minister Firhad Hakim, MLA Rathin Ghosh, and Chandrima Bhattacharya have been appointed as vice presidents. As general secretaries, along with Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, and Sabina Yasmin have been given responsibilities.

Akhruzzaman Ansari has been appointed treasurer. In Monday’s meeting, the rebel faction claimed that they represent the “real TMC".

ALSO READ: Bengal: TMC Leader Jahangir Khan's Wife Arrested For Orchestrating Attack On Falta Police Station

However, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction firmly rejected these claims. TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh stated that TMC and Mamata Banerjee are inseparable. He added that, according to the party constitution, the rebel group has no authority to form such a committee or alter the leadership structure.


Also In News