Party veterans question Abhishek Banerjee’s growing role and lack of forums for dissent
The turmoil within the Trinamool Congress has put the party leadership in trouble, with the two senior leaders publicly venting differences over the past few days.
Senior MP and party’s chief whip in Lok Sabha Kalyan Banerjee created a ruckus after he questioned TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s claims of ‘Diamond Harbor Model’ to control COVID-19 in his parliamentary constituency.
“What is the Diamond Harbor model,” Mr Kalyan Banerjee had questioned why football tournaments were organized in Diamond Harbor by the MP at the start of the new year, if he was serious about COVID management. “There may be many office bearers in the party but my leader is Mamata Banerjee,” Mr. Kalyan Banerjee had added.
The Shrirampur MP and senior advocate of the Calcutta High Court also asked whether the party general secretary’s remarks that the municipal elections in the state should be postponed was the approval of the party leadership.
On Monday, when Mr. Abhishek Banerjee left for Goa to vote, the controversy did not seem to stop. Emphasizing the success of the ‘Diamond Harbor Model’ on social media, Mr Banerjee said that “Despite its proximity to Gangasagar and Kolkata, Diamond Harbor PC maintains a positivity rate below 3%”.
Meanwhile in Srirampur, anonymous posters surfaced against Mr Kalyan Banerjee, demanding that there should be a new MP for the constituency.
With Mr. Abhishek Banerjee’s increasing role in the party following TMC’s victory in the assembly elections last year, party president Mamata Banerjee, criticism against the party general secretary has been rare.
However, Mr. Kalyan Banerjee is not alone. Another senior Trinamool Congress leader Madan Mitra, who has a huge social media influence, has said in the past few days that there is no place where party leaders can vent their opinions or differences.
When, in response, party general secretary Partha Chatterjee, who is in charge of the disciplinary committee, said that leaders should refrain from making public statements, Mr Mitra said he was ready to give his opinion to the TMC leader’s security guard, provided that the person is willing to listen.
Mamata Banerjee is emerging as an alternative to BJP and Abhishek Banerjee is the representative of the youth. But there is no such place where we can reach..,” Mr. Mitra, a former minister, said.
Political observers feel that since both Mr. Kalyan Banerjee and Mr. Madan Mitra are TMC veterans, it may be difficult for the party to take any disciplinary action against them. However, his regular statements have shown some red faces in the party.
West Bengal BJP leader Dilip Ghosh took a dig at TMC saying “It is Modi ji (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) who keeps on organizing ‘Mann Ki Baat’ programmes. We are happy that many people in Trinamool Congress have Mann Ki Baat”. broadcasting the matter.
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