TMC feud deepens as Mamata camp files fresh police complaints against Ritabrata faction
The complaints filed by TMC’s joint national secretary Dola Sen came a day after the party’s ‘Kalighat wing’ approached the Pragati Maidan and New Town police with similar allegations against the separatist camp.
The move marks a sharp escalation in the month-long struggle within the party following the assembly poll debacle; both parties now increasingly rely on legal and organizational measures to establish their claims on the party’s legacy and structure.
In the latest complaints at Kalighat police station and Cyber Crime section of Kolkata Police, Mamata Banerjee loyalists named Ritabrata Banerjee, former minister Arup Roy, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Biplab Mitra allege that they are trying to run a parallel organization by portraying themselves as carriers of the All India Trinamool Congress without the permission of the party leadership.
“The defendants used the party’s name, symbol and organizational positions to create confusion among workers and supporters and tarnish the party’s image,” the complaint alleged.
The police complaints come less than a week after the rebel group held a high-profile “special session” at a luxury hotel in New Town, announcing a new national working committee that excluded both Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
The June 22 meeting, attended by several MLAs and former legislators, was envisioned by opponents as an attempt to “rebuild” the organization after the party’s crushing defeat in the assembly elections. On Saturday, the Ritabrata camp held another meeting in east Kolkata’s Topsia area and brought together 47 former Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillors; political observers saw this as a concerted effort to strengthen his urban support base ahead of local elections, likely to be held later this year. year.
Banners and signboards at both meetings prominently displayed the TMC’s grass and twin flower symbol and the party’s official name, even without portraits of Mamata Banerjee, once the undisputed face of the organisation.
In its complaint filed with the New Town police station, the Mamata Banerjee camp sought an investigation against people allegedly operating behind the scenes of the opposition movement and questioned the source of funds used to organize meetings on behalf of the party, print promotional materials and run social media campaigns.
The loyalist group also challenged the validity of positions claimed by rebel leaders. The report cited a recent correspondence sent by Ritabrata Banerjee to Speaker Rathindra Bose, in which she described herself as the “general secretary” of the party; This, according to a Mamata Banerjee supporter, was a title that was never given to her by the organization.
Another complaint referred to a meeting organized by leaders of the separatist group for TMC councilors in Kolkata, where invitations were allegedly issued under unauthorized party names.
However, Ritabrata Banejee denied the allegations.
“Anyone can file a complaint. There is law in the country, there is the Election Commission. Let there be faith in the law and the EC,” he said.
