The face of the rebellion against Mamata Banerjee, new Bengal LoP: Who is Ritabrata Banerjee?
A former CPM leader who was close to the late Sitaram Yechury, Ritabrata Banerjee's rise and fall in the Left was drastic. Now he is at the centre of the TMC's biggest crisis yet.
Rebel TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee triggers a massive crisis for Mamata Banerjee after claiming the backing of 59 lawmakers for the LoP post. (File Photo) In fresh trouble for former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress (TMC), “expelled” party MLA Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday reached the Assembly with 59 of the party’s 80 MLAs, who are backing him for the post of the Leader of the Opposition (LoP). Later in the day, the Speaker accepted his demand to be recognised as the LoP, dealing a massive blow to Banerjee.
The “rebel MLAs” have submitted a letter — on a white pad, not on the party’s letter pad — naming Mamata Banerjee as the party leader, Ritabrata as the LoP, and Seuli Saha, Javed Khan, and Sabina Yeasmin as deputy leaders in the House.
Ritabrata, one of the two TMC MLAs “expelled” for “anti-party activities” on Monday, was once one of the CPI(M)’s young guns seen as a future leader of the Left party. But his quick rise stalled because of his expulsion from the Left party following a scandal and an explosive interview. He joined the TMC in 2018 and went on to claim that Mamata is the real Left leader.
The Mamata Banerjee-led camp in the TMC removed Ritabrata shortly after Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari named him and Sandipan Saha while saying two TMC MLAs had complained to the Assembly Speaker that their signatures were forged in the party’s communication endorsing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP.
Quick rise and fall
An alumnus of Kolkata’s South Point High School and Ashutosh College, Ritabrata came to the limelight as a student leader in the early 2000s. He was named the All India general secretary of CPI(M)’s student wing SFI and led the organisation for eight years. Known to be close to Left veteran and CP(M)’s former general secretary, the late Sitaram Yechury, Ritabrata’s rise in the CPI(M), then known to shy away from projecting young faces, was quick.
At 34 years old, the CPI(M) chose him for a Rajya Sabha seat. Three years after his Rajya Sabha entry, this rapid climb up the ladder of power would meet a setback. In 2017, the CPI(M) suspended and later expelled him.
A lifestyle alleged to be inconsistent with the party’s ideals – Ritabrata was spotted with an Apple smartwatch – and “anti-party activities” were cited as reasons. At the time, the expulsion was also seen as a fallout between the tussle between the Prakash Karat and Sitaram Yechury camps within the CPI(M). Days before the expulsion, Ritabrata made explosive remarks in an interview, saying his fight was against top party leaders Prakash and Brinda Karat and former MP and CPI(M)’s current state secretary Mohammed Salim.
Later that year, a research scholar accused Ritabrata of rape, alleging that he had exploited her on the false promise of marriage. The MP accused the woman of blackmail and extortion. Visuals from a personal video call went viral, and the once young, dynamic leader was now a castaway.
The switch
Following his expulsion by the CPI(M), Ritabrata joined the TMC and went on to head the party’s trade union arm. In 2021, he told The Telegraph in an interview that his then-boss, Mamata, was the real Leftist leader.
In 2024, the TMC nominated him for a Rajya Sabha seat after the resignation of former MP Jawhar Sircar.
In the recent elections, Ritabrata successfully contested as a TMC candidate from the Uluberia Purba Assembly constituency despite the BJP’s sweep of Bengal, in which many seasoned Trinamool leaders were trounced.
Shortly after his win, however, Ritabrata became a talking point, not to the amusement of the TMC leadership. A video of him crossing paths and exchanging pleasantries with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Delhi’s Banga Bhaban went viral. He later told the media that it was “courtesy” and asked if he should have ignored the CM’s greetings. He said he did not believe in “that kind of politics”.
The crackdown
On Monday, Adhikari said Banerjee and Saha had informed Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose that they had not signed the TMC’s communication naming Chattopadhyay as the LoP. Soon after, the Trinamool issued statements, expelling Ritabrata and Saha.
“It has been brought to the notice of the All India Trinamool Congress through its competent authority that, despite having been elected as a candidate nominated by the AITC, you have repeatedly failed to attend meetings convened by the authorised leadership of the party and have made yourself involved in anti-party activities,” a communication addressed to the MLAs said.
Without naming Ritabrata, Mamata told the media, “Someone who was earlier with CPI(M) is doing it all. We gave him a ticket, depriving others. My apologies to those who were deprived.” On Tuesday, Mamata again alleged that there was a conspiracy hatched from Delhi to break the party.
For Ritabrata, this marks a new chapter in his journey with the TMC. For a leader who jumped from the Left to the TMC, and served as a member of the Rajya Sabha and the Assembly within a decade, the possibilities are many.
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