Veteran TMC leader Rabindranath Ghosh switches sides, seeks Abhishek Banerjee's exit
Rabindranath Ghosh joined the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp and urged Mamata Banerjee to sideline Abhishek. His switch has sharpened the Trinamool Congress split as dissidents build a parallel organisation.
Veteran Trinamool Congress leader Rabindranath Ghosh on Sunday joined the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp and claimed that many dissident leaders and workers would return to Mamata Banerjee if she sidelined her nephew Abhishek Banerjee from active politics for the time being.
Ghosh's move came less than 24 hours after the rebels stepped up their bid for control of the party by announcing parallel state and district committees. The development has deepened the split in the embattled TMC, with several longtime loyalists of Mamata Banerjee, including former Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal, joining the faction as it moves from political rebellion to building a parallel organisation.
Ghosh, a former North Bengal Development Minister and a longtime associate of Mamata Banerjee, is likely to be named the rebel faction's Cooch Behar district president. He strongly criticised Abhishek Banerjee and political consultancy firm I-PAC, saying the party's setback in the Assembly polls was largely due to their influence.
"From what I have figured after speaking to many party leaders is that Mamata Banerjee needs to remove Abhishek from the domain of active politics, at least for the time being. I believe that would make the dissident leaders and workers return to her," Ghosh told reporters.
He added, "There's no denying that Abhishek's whims and fancies over 80 sitting MLAs and ministers were denied poll tickets and many others removed from their organisational positions, had a severe impact on the party." Ghosh, who was the TMC's district president for more than two decades, also questioned whether Mamata Banerjee still had effective control over the party.
"Does Didi really have power in her hands anymore? Power has become concentrated elsewhere and incompetent people were given crucial responsibilities. Even if Mamata Banerjee wanted to, she could not do many things," he claimed.
Asked if the party's split and electoral defeat were the result of Abhishek Banerjee's leadership, Ghosh said, "He lacks political experience. He did not emerge through any political movement. And what was I-PAC? It's a bunch of youngsters telling us what to do." He added, "We came up through political struggles and years of hard work. There was no I-PAC in 2011 or 2016. Suddenly they became indispensable. In the end, they destroyed the party and walked away."
On why he chose to switch camps instead of conveying his concerns directly to Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh said there was only one Trinamool Congress and no factions. "We have to be where the majority is. MLAs and leaders from North Bengal have all come together in one place. I have taken this decision to stand by the party workers," he said.
He also said, "Unfit people were given responsibility. They have been accused of corruption. Now, they have gone into hiding. Ordinary party workers are facing repression. We have to stand by them."
Reacting to the development, BJP leader and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said it did not matter which TMC camp was gaining from the rebellion. "The TMC is divided into two boats, both of which are sinking. It is their leaders' personal choice as to which sinking boat they want to board. But, there is no doubt that the boats will sink and they will drown with those," he asserted.
On Saturday, the Ritabrata-led dissidents announced appointments after a two-day working committee meeting in Kolkata, even as their claim over the TMC's symbol, name and party funds remains pending before the Election Commission. The move marked the second major step in the faction's strategy after last month's special session, where it removed Mamata Banerjee as party chairperson, elected senior MLA Arup Roy to the post, formed a parallel working committee and approached the EC for recognition as the "real" Trinamool Congress.
Anubrata Mondal was appointed president of the rebel faction's Birbhum unit, making his switch one of the most significant since the split widened after the Assembly election. The faction also unveiled its first statewide organisational team, naming former Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen as principal spokesperson and assigning district responsibilities to several former ministers and MLAs, in what leaders described as the first phase of its statewide expansion. With Ghosh now joining the rebel camp and openly targeting Abhishek Banerjee's role, the internal battle in the TMC has sharpened further.
Veteran Trinamool Congress leader Rabindranath Ghosh on Sunday joined the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel camp and claimed that many dissident leaders and workers would return to Mamata Banerjee if she sidelined her nephew Abhishek Banerjee from active politics for the time being.
Ghosh's move came less than 24 hours after the rebels stepped up their bid for control of the party by announcing parallel state and district committees. The development has deepened the split in the embattled TMC, with several longtime loyalists of Mamata Banerjee, including former Birbhum strongman Anubrata Mondal, joining the faction as it moves from political rebellion to building a parallel organisation.
Ghosh, a former North Bengal Development Minister and a longtime associate of Mamata Banerjee, is likely to be named the rebel faction's Cooch Behar district president. He strongly criticised Abhishek Banerjee and political consultancy firm I-PAC, saying the party's setback in the Assembly polls was largely due to their influence.
"From what I have figured after speaking to many party leaders is that Mamata Banerjee needs to remove Abhishek from the domain of active politics, at least for the time being. I believe that would make the dissident leaders and workers return to her," Ghosh told reporters.
He added, "There's no denying that Abhishek's whims and fancies over 80 sitting MLAs and ministers were denied poll tickets and many others removed from their organisational positions, had a severe impact on the party." Ghosh, who was the TMC's district president for more than two decades, also questioned whether Mamata Banerjee still had effective control over the party.
"Does Didi really have power in her hands anymore? Power has become concentrated elsewhere and incompetent people were given crucial responsibilities. Even if Mamata Banerjee wanted to, she could not do many things," he claimed.
Asked if the party's split and electoral defeat were the result of Abhishek Banerjee's leadership, Ghosh said, "He lacks political experience. He did not emerge through any political movement. And what was I-PAC? It's a bunch of youngsters telling us what to do." He added, "We came up through political struggles and years of hard work. There was no I-PAC in 2011 or 2016. Suddenly they became indispensable. In the end, they destroyed the party and walked away."
On why he chose to switch camps instead of conveying his concerns directly to Mamata Banerjee, Ghosh said there was only one Trinamool Congress and no factions. "We have to be where the majority is. MLAs and leaders from North Bengal have all come together in one place. I have taken this decision to stand by the party workers," he said.
He also said, "Unfit people were given responsibility. They have been accused of corruption. Now, they have gone into hiding. Ordinary party workers are facing repression. We have to stand by them."
Reacting to the development, BJP leader and Union minister Sukanta Majumdar said it did not matter which TMC camp was gaining from the rebellion. "The TMC is divided into two boats, both of which are sinking. It is their leaders' personal choice as to which sinking boat they want to board. But, there is no doubt that the boats will sink and they will drown with those," he asserted.
On Saturday, the Ritabrata-led dissidents announced appointments after a two-day working committee meeting in Kolkata, even as their claim over the TMC's symbol, name and party funds remains pending before the Election Commission. The move marked the second major step in the faction's strategy after last month's special session, where it removed Mamata Banerjee as party chairperson, elected senior MLA Arup Roy to the post, formed a parallel working committee and approached the EC for recognition as the "real" Trinamool Congress.
Anubrata Mondal was appointed president of the rebel faction's Birbhum unit, making his switch one of the most significant since the split widened after the Assembly election. The faction also unveiled its first statewide organisational team, naming former Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen as principal spokesperson and assigning district responsibilities to several former ministers and MLAs, in what leaders described as the first phase of its statewide expansion. With Ghosh now joining the rebel camp and openly targeting Abhishek Banerjee's role, the internal battle in the TMC has sharpened further.
