New Delhi:
For 15 years Mamata Banerjee and her Trinamool Congress were untouchable. Three consecutive Assembly election wins built her legacy and four straight Lok Sabha polls – in which the Trinamool was the single-largest party – cemented it.
But on Thursday the Trinamool lurched deeper into an existential crisis after party veteran Kalyan Banerjee ripped into her nephew and second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee. “It is a great humiliation to me,” Kalyan Banerjee – one of Mamata Banerjee’s staunchest allies – fumed. “His arrogant attitude has destroyed the party… He should understand that.”
“Everyday he thinks he is the ‘king’… Even in the bad days. When I am standing for the party, standing behind Mamata Banerjee, it is impossible for me to work. It is impossible because of this attitude of Abhishek Banerjee,” he raged.
“Mamata di has to decide first,” Banerjee declared, delivering a ‘him or me’ ultimatum, “She has to decide… if she cannot move the party (forward) without Abhishek, then I will not be there.”
The outburst followed reports Abhishek Banerjee – who faces a criminal investigation in a forgery case – had dropped him as his lawyer. Kalyan Banerjee told reporters he only found out he had been replaced when a second petition was filed.
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Hours earlier the Calcutta High Court granted Abhishek Banerjee interim protection from arrest for three weeks, while also directing him to appear for questioning by 6 pm Thursday. That particular controversy erupted after a proposal asking the House to recognise Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition allegedly contained some MLAs’ forged signatures.
Under-fire Trinamool leader Abhishek Banerjee (File)
Why is this outburst significant?
The Trinamool is struggling to recover from a crushing defeat in the April-May election; a party that won over 200 seats (of the state’s 294) in each of the last three polls won just 80 this time.
The defeat has laid bare extensive divides and rifts within a party that seems to have been held together these past few years by the sheer force of Mamata Banerjee’s personality. It has also triggered a flurry of allegations against the ex-chief minister – that she had become detached from most senior figures and ignored complaints of a corrupt party and administration.
This week a group of 20 Trinamool MPs – including Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy, two of Banerjee’s closest aides – said they would break away and ally with the BJP-led coalition.
Trinamool boss Mamata Banerjee battles revolts (File)
They and other critics have hit out at the leadership of Abhishek Banerjee, the party’s National General Secretary, questioning the use of poll managers like ex-strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC and concentrating power in his and his advisers’ hands.
Roy, a four-time MP who has been with Mamata Banerjee since 2009, echoed that sentiment when told NDTV the former chief minister – fondly called ‘didi‘ – had changed, and the scale of that change, she said, had forced to her offer support to the BJP.
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“I am leaving because our voices were unheard. I want to work for the people…but no one heard us. Only selective people had access to Mamata Banerjee.” The actor-politician also echoed corruption claims.
“There is a lot of corruption in the Trinamool. I am disappointed to see…”
So far three Trinamool MPs have confirmed their resignation; earlier in the day Prakash Chik Baraik quit the Rajya Sabha, on Wednesday it was Sushmita Dev, and on Monday it was Sukhendu Sekhar Ray.
Throughout this crisis, and through earlier run-ins and squabbles with the BJP, Kalyan Banerjee has been among Mamata Banerjee’s strongest defenders. But this criticism of her nephew – who many expect will take over she steps down – suggests that bond is now under threat.
Kalyan Banerjee’s wasn’t the only takedown of Abhishek Banerjee after the election loss.
Krishnendu Narayan Chowdhury, the party’s State General Secretary, echoed that criticism, declaring, “The person who destroyed Trinamool is Abhishek… He did whatever he wanted.”
