Explained: Trinamool Congress’ internal crisis

TMC leader and MP Kalyan Banerjee called Abhishek’s statements a “challenge to the state government” and declared he didn’t consider the 34-year-old his leader. Several party leaders took on Kalyan over the remarks. Akash Banerjee, cousin of Abhishek, tweeted an image of a poster saying “Srirampur notun sangsod chay (Srirampur wants a new MP)”; the current MP from the seat is Kalyan.

However, since Abhishek took a measured stance on Covid, appearing as the voice of reason in a business-as-usual government, as Omicron surged, the Mamata government has taken his lead. The CM hit a cautious note at the launch of the Gangasagar Mela, which her government had earlier been gung-ho about, and soon after, urged the State Election Commission to postpone the January 22 civic polls in light of Covid as well as introduced other curbs. Ultimately, the state government agreed to put off the polls for three weeks.

Differences over candidate list in civic polls

The rift between Abhishek and the old guard of the party widened over the candidate list for 108 civic bodies. After winning the assembly election in 2021, Mamata, at a meeting of the Trinamool Working Committee, declared him the general secretary of the party. At the same time, the ruling party decided on a fundamental issue. That is, one person, one position policy.

With nephew Abhishek now the undeclared heir apparent and virtually the face of the party’s next generation, the chief minister tried to placate the old brass by giving it leeway over candidates for the civic polls. The message went across after protests over some names; the corollary being that Abhishek and Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC could give their “suggestions” and no more.

Senior leaders’ public statements of defiance against each other

The latest tussle between Abhishek and senior TMC leaders came to the fore after two candidate lists were released for the civic polls. While one was published by its senior leaders Partha Chatterjee, Firhad Halim, Aroop Boswas and Subrata Bakshi; another popped up on the party’s official website, and was said to have been the one formulated by I-PAC.

I-PAC’s involvement in the TMC, after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections that saw the BJP make huge gains in Bengal, largely rests on Abhishek’s support. As a senior TMC leader says, “Abhishek thought the party needed a proper direction and professional approach, and brought in I-PAC. But, a majority of the party leaders believe Mamata Banerjee is the only leader who can make a difference in any political fight.”

‘One person, one post’

A banner on the official Twitter page of senior Trinamool leader and minister Chandrima Bhattacharya was changed to “I support one man, one post policy in AITC (All India Trinamool Congress).” However, she later clarified that the banner was changed by I-PAC, which, she claimed, handles her Twitter account. Refuting her claim, I-PAC released a statement later saying, “I-PAC doesn’t handle any digital properties of @AITCofficial or any of its leaders. Anyone making such a claim is either uninformed or is blatantly lying. AITC should look into if and how their digital properties and/or that of their leaders are being “allegedly (mis)used.”

Intervention of Mamata Banerjee

Aimed at sending a message of unity within the party, Mamata Banerjee called a meeting on Sunday and formed a fresh national working committee. All present national-level portfolios in the TMC, including Abhishek Banerjee’s portfolio of National General Secretary, have been dissolved.

A senior leader who attended the meeting said, “Over the past few days, there has been speculation about growing differences between senior leaders in the party and Abhishek Banerjee. But Didi has sent a clear message that she is the last word in the party and no ‘one person, one post’ policy will be implemented in near future. She also cut to size Abhishek, excluded two prominent leaders Derek O’Brian and Sougata Roy and decided not to involve I-PAC further in the West Bengal party unit’s day to day work.”

However, a bunch of senior leaders thinks, this turmoil within the party has stopped for the time being and may flare up again in future and that is to see how far Mamata Banerjee will be able to maintain her control on her own.

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