Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee harbours dreams of national domination but not all is well within her party. Reportedly, the rift has widened between Mamata and her heir apparent/nephew Abhishek Banerjee, with senior leaders in the party divided in their allegiances to the duo.
Abhishek Banerjee’s push to promote a ‘One Man, One Post’ policy in the party has brewed discontentment. While Mamata was initially against the move, Abhishek threatened resignation. As a result, to satiate Abhishek, on Saturday, Mamata unilaterally dissolved all posts in the party and formed a 20-member national executive that would look after the party’s work collectively.
The rejig
According to the new list, Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim has made it to the national working committee. Apart from Firhad, three more new names were added to the list, including Yashwant Sinha, Aroop Biswas and Sobhandeb Chatterjee.
Abhishek, who was appointed as the party’s all-India general secretary, immediately after the assembly election has lost his position. However, he may be setting himself up for a much more advanced position, given how Mamata has folded in front of him. In the meantime, he has been made a member of the committee.
BJP takes a dig at the civil war
Meanwhile, the opposition was quick to seize in on the opportunity and take a dig at fissures within the TMC. BJP’s IT cell in-charge Amit Malviya took to Twitter to insinuate that a coup was brewing in the TMC camp.
“After Abhishek Banerjee threatened to resign on the issue of one person one post, a paranoid Mamata Banerjee dissolved all party posts, constituted a “committee”, marginalising those aligned to Abhishek. What next? Sack all ministers and run the Govt alone? Fear of coup is real!,” tweeted Malviya.
After Abhishek Banerjee threatened to resign on the issue of one person one post, a paranoid Mamata Banerjee dissolved all party posts, constituted a “committee”, marginalising those aligned to Abhishek. What next? Sack all ministers and run the Govt alone?
Fear of coup is real!
— Amit Malviya (मोदी का परिवार) (@amitmalviya) February 13, 2022
Abhishek wants to usurp Mamata’s power
It appears that Abhishek, who has been regarded as highly ambitious by TMC leaders and peers is gunning for her aunt’s position, with an eye on the 2024 General elections. Ever since the West Bengal elections, TMC has been positing itself as a viable alternative opposition voice, often pushing Congress away.
However, Mamata has not been able to conjure up the same magic outside her state with political allies and opponents alike, finding her a primitive regional satrap.
Prashant Kishor making his moves
Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC which designed the election campaign for TMC has also started coming after Mamata, undermining her authority in the process.
Prashant Kishor, akin to Bihar wants a major say in the daily day-to-day political workings of the state. However, Mamata hasn’t been too enthused by the proposition. Such has been the uneasiness that other TMC leaders are collectively calling out I-PAC for its actions, with many demanding the party high command to sever its ties with the political consultancy group.
On Friday, a public spat erupted between TMC leader Chandrima Bhattacharya and I-PAC after she alleged that her social media accounts had been “misused” by Prashant Kishor’s team.
Chandrima was quoted as saying by PTI, “A Twitter account in my name was created by I-PAC before the election. Today it posted something about ‘one person one post’ without my knowledge. I strongly protest against it,”
Read more: Abhishek Banerjee and Prashant Kishor are going to ensure Mamata’s downfall in Bengal
The state of Goa goes to poll today. It is the state where TMC has spent a fortune in the last few months after parachuting out of nowhere. However, with the contest extremely tight between BJP, Congress and AAP, it looks highly uncertain if Mamata will open her account. And if her party manages to lose the deposit, the heir may look to further strengthen his bid for the top party position.