Loyalists rally behind Mamata, say an ousted leader cannot lead Trinamool in Assembly

Former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s loyalists in the Trinamool Congress on Wednesday (June 3) said that an expelled leader like Ritabrata Banerjee cannot serve as Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. This came after 58 Trinamool MPs joined hands with Mr. Banerjee and quit the party, declaring themselves the main Opposition party in the assembly. They also declared Mr. Banerjee as their Leader of Opposition.

Senior Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh criticized the 58 MLAs who rallied behind Mr. Banerjee and said, “The MLAs who won are all Trinamool candidates and used Ms. Mamata Banerjee’s image to win. She worked hard to make these MLAs win. Now an expelled leader cannot be the head of a political party.”

Mr. Ghosh further added that “Ms. Banerjee was the original Trinamool Congress”, the leader who gave birth to the party. “HE Salary From Trinamool,” Mr. Ghosh said.

Mr. Banerjee, along with MLA Sandipan Saha, was expelled from the party on Monday over allegations of “anti-party activities”.

Following the rift in the party, senior leader and Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee said, “People who stand with Ms. Mamata Banerjee today will continue to stand with her in the future.”

“Those who chose to betray Didi today will eventually be judged by the people. Their actions only reinforce the perception that they are no different from the BJP,” Mr. Kalyan Banerjee wrote. He also added that the real strength of Trinamool lies in the grassroots workers of the party.

Other supporters of Ms. Mamata Banerjee also echoed this sentiment. “Trinamool stands for Ms. Mamata Banerjee and the people. The people and Ms. Mamata Banerjee are with Trinamool,” said MP Dola Sen as she went to attend a meeting at Ms. Mamata Banerjee’s home in Kalighat.

Speaking similarly, Trinamool’s Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra and other old stalwarts of the party said that their party has only one leader and that is Ms Mamata Banerjee. Mr. Mitra said, “What others say does not concern me.”

Party units were dissolved

Earlier in the day, in a bid to thwart dissent, Trinamool dissolved all party units in West Bengal. Underlining the need for a major overhaul after the humiliating election loss on May 4, the party said all front organizations run by Trinamool have also been dissolved.

“The party will conduct a comprehensive introspection, performance review and organizational evaluation study at all levels. Based on the findings of this study, the organizational structure of the parent body and all front organizations will be reconstituted and announced in due course,” Trinamool said in its official statement on social media platforms. he said.

However, the developments gave rise to rumors in the State and political circles that the Trinamool party was closed. However, Mr. Ghosh said the party continues to exist and rumors of its closure are unfounded. “Various committees of the Trinamool Congress have been dissolved, not the party itself,” Mr. Ghosh said. He added that they are ready to redesign their structures and will establish committees and local bodies in the coming days.