For months, a dispute has been simmering underneath the surface in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), framed as differences between party leaders allied to Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek. With no end in sight to these differences, recent events illustrate that, in fact, the divisions run deeper.
First, Abhishek, the de facto second-in-command in the party after his aunt, differed with some party leaders on the issue of boycotting artists who had been critical of the TMC government’s handling of the case of the alleged rape and murder of a doctor in Kolkata’s R G Kar hospital. But what made this recent public airing of differences a different matter was Mamata Banerjee’s subsequent criticism of ministers seen to be close to her nephew.
After a local TMC councillor in Kolkata cancelled a New Year’s Eve programme of singer Lagnajita Chakraborty, senior spokesperson Kunal Ghosh posted on X on December 31 that people were free to protest and artistes had the freedom to march. “However,” he added, “the artistes who deliberately engaged in slander, viciously attacked the Chief Minister, the government, and the party, spoke of toppling the government, insulted Trinamool supporters, and spread false information, they should not be seen on the stage at any event organised by Trinamool leaders. They should be boycotted. If any Trinamool leader has any doubt, they should consult with senior leadership. Respect the emotions of party workers and supporters.”
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Apart from Lagnajita, singer Debalina Dutta, who was also vocal during the RG Kar protests, has also claimed that at least four of her programmes have been cancelled recently.
Taking aim at Ghosh, Abhishek, the Diamond Harbour MP and TMC national general secretary who had differed with the party’s handling of the R G Kar case, said at an event in his constituency on Thursday, “Did someone say this on behalf of the party? Have you seen any notices? Did Mamata Banerjee or I, the general secretary, say anything? I do not want to force anyone on where they will sing, with whom, or when. Everyone has the freedom.”
Within an hour, the TMC spokesperson wrote on X that there was a “difference between protest and planned incivility in the name of protest”. He added, “The conscience of Trinamool workers will judge the matter,” Ghosh said. “And in this regard, whatever the party’s top leader, Chairperson Mamata Banerjee, who has had to endure the most attacks and conspiracies on this issue, says, is the last word.”
The last bit of Ghosh’s remark echoed what Mamata Banerjee said last month. Amid tension in the TMC over a bigger role for Abhishek, she emphasised that she was the “last word” on party affairs.
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Senior TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee, seen as one of Abhishek’s critics in the party, also backed Ghosh, saying, “All emotions of TMC workers are centred around Mamata Banerjee. Why will we allow anyone (to perform) in our programmes who insulted her and abused her? I did not see many leaders speaking out during the R G Kar protests. Kunal spoke, I spoke. Kunal also backed junior doctors who were being hounded out of medical colleges because they support Trinamool. I fought for them in court.”
Mamata pulls up Abhishek ‘loyalists’
Even as these disagreements were playing out in the open, the CM on Thursday criticised ministers Bratya Basu and Snehasis Chakraborty and pulled up the District Magistrate of Birbhum, which was read as a rebuke to the party’s Birbhum chief and strongman Anubrata Mondal. Anubrata, another party leader close to Abhishek, got out of jail last September and is learnt to be reasserting himself again in the area.
Questioning the introduction of the semester system in schools, Banerjee asked Basu, the Education Minister, “I came to know from media reports that the semester system is being introduced at the primary level. How did Bratya take such a policy decision without intimating me and the Chief Secretary?” She also pulled up the Transport Department, saying “Does the minister or secretary ever go out on the roads to see what the common people are facing?”
A senior TMC leader and Cabinet Minister said, “Didi was furious about the performances of some departments. However, you can see that she expressed much more anger with those ministers known to be close to Abhishek. She also rebuked the Birbhum DM for giving special preference to a particular district leader. Everybody in Birbhum knows that Anubrata is very close to Abhishek. Since he walked out of jail on bail, he has been trying to regain his footing in the area. That is basically why the CM scolded the DM.”
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Chakraborty, however, tried to play down the criticism he faced from Banerjee. “The CM expressed her concerns. She always has people’s interests in mind and that reflected during Thursday’s meeting,” he told The Indian Express.
The source of the continuing tension between Abhishek and his aunt, according to TMC insiders, is the much-delayed organisational reshuffle. For the last couple of months, Abhishek has been making a case for replacing TMC district presidents in areas where the party performed below par in the Lok Sabha elections even though it improved its overall tally by winning 29 seats.
In November, as his supporters gathered to wish him on his birthday, the TMC number two told them that the reshuffle should be based on performance. “The CPI(M) is the biggest example of what can happen to a party if it focuses solely on loyalty. I have sent a list to our chairperson. She will take the decision,” he said. However, there has been no movement on this since then as Banerjee looks to allay the fears of her loyalists about what their future would look like under a party where Abhishek calls the shots.
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