Trinamool Congress’s West Bengal state president Chandrima Bhattacharya resigned from all party positions on Saturday, deepening the organisational crisis within Mamata Banerjee’s outfit — a day after the party lost control of its headquarters in the state, and weeks after it haemorrhaged a number of senior leaders following its defeat in the state elections.
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Banerjee launched a counterattack in a social media livestream later on Saturday, accusing rebel leaders of conspiring with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to split the party. Banerjee announced she would immediately assume the role of state president until veteran leader Subrata Bakshi recovers from illness.
In her resignation letter, Bhattacharya stated, “I hereby tender my resignation from the post of the state president of All India Trinamool Congress which had been conferred on me in the meeting at Kalighat on June 3. I also hereby resign from all other posts which I hold at present.”
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Rebel camp strengthens
Following her resignation, Bhattacharya met with dissident lawmakers at the state legislative assembly, where the speaker has recognised the rebel faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, as the principal opposition party. As many as 58 of the 80 party legislators have joined the dissident camp.
Bhattacharya, a veteran leader and long-term aide of Banerjee, held multiple portfolios in the previous state administration, including finance, health, and panchayat and rural development. Her resignation followed an incident on Friday in which the rebel faction occupied the party’s multi-storey rented office off the Eastern Metropolitan Bypass, claiming to represent the “original” party.
Bhattacharya stated she was present at the Trinamool Congress bhavan during the takeover and departed shortly after. “I was told by Mamata Banerjee that I had handed over the TMC bhavan. I was deeply hurt,” she stated.
Banerjee rejected the rebel takeover of the headquarters, stating that central forces were used to lock the buildings. She stated that the party’s lease agreement remains valid until October 2027 and that rent, maintenance, and electricity bills have been regularly paid, displaying copies of the cheques as proof.
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Mamata hits back
Banerjee remained nonchalant about Bhattacharya’s exit, stating that her son had already joined the rebel camp. “I dare the treacherous and ungrateful traitors who are abandoning the party to directly join the BJP and take me on if they have the courage to do so,” Banerjee stated.
She also announced the induction of Kunal Ghosh and Madan Mitra as party general secretaries.
Banerjee questioned the timing of the dissent, asking why the lawmakers did not voice differences during the last 15 years while serving as MPs, MLAs, and ministers. She added that loyal workers who remain during this crisis are the “party’s goldmine”.
Regarding the rebel faction’s petition to the Election Commission staking claim to the twin flower symbol, Banerjee stated that an institution does not cease to exist when individuals leave. She criticised Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, mockingly referring to him as “Vanish Kumar”.
War of words
Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee urged the chairperson to conduct thorough background checks before assigning responsibilities. He stated that previous announcements led to embarrassing resignations, adding that she could be “left red-faced” if designated leaders have already withdrawn their support.
Banerjee further criticised the BJP over alleged embezzlement of donations for the construction of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, dedicated to Hindu god Ram. She stated, “Take the Ram Mandir issue. Huge money was spent on its construction. The donations poured in. And today Ram ka naam apne badnaam kar diya. Hindutva ka naam pe khela. Hinduism ko apne finish kiya. Haven’t you seen what happened to the donations?”
In response, BJP state president Samik Bhattacharya stated that leaders were quitting the Trinamool Congress because the “cut-money culture” that served as its binding glue had been stopped. He added that the party would have no place in history apart from the syllabus of modern Islamic history of the state.
