Amid TMC split, treasurer seeks freeze on party’s bank accounts

Senior Trinamool Congress leader and former West Bengal minister Aroop Biswas has reportedly written to a private bank, requesting immediate restrictions on the operations of the party’s accounts, citing a dispute over the authority and control of the organisation.

A two-page letter, addressed to the manager of HDFC Bank’s Central Plaza branch in Kolkata, have been making the rounds on social media, though its authenticity has not been confirmed by Biswas or the party.

According to the letter dated June 12, Biswas, in his capacity as the treasurer of TMC, requested the bank to maintain the status quo and not permit any debit transactions or changes in operational mandates until the dispute is resolved.

TMC’s unprecedented crisis

The letter was written against the backdrop of the rebellion within the TMC that has emerged as one of the most significant political developments in West Bengal after the 2026 assembly elections.

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The split is two-fold. In the state assembly, a group of 58 dissident TMC MLAs, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, broke away from the party leadership and secured recognition from the Speaker as the dominant legislature group, electing Ritabrata as the Leader of the Opposition.

In Lok Sabha, 20 rebel TMC MPs, including veterans Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, moved away from the party’s central leadership and sought a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), claiming support of more than two-thirds of party MPs.

The developments have triggered legal and political battles over legitimacy, anti-defection provisions, and control of the party’s legislative wings, marking the deepest internal crisis in TMC’s history.

Uncertainty over authorisation

Rebel TMC MLA Kanailal Agarwal told news agency PTI, “Aroop Biswas, as a treasurer of the party, is well within his rights to write to the bank to freeze the accounts if he feels that there might be an attempt to misuse the funds.”

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In the communication to the bank, Biswas claimed that rival groups were asserting themselves as the legitimate representatives and office-bearers of the party, creating uncertainty over who was authorised to operate the accounts maintained in the name of the TMC.

The letter further expressed apprehension that party funds could be utilised or appropriated by persons not duly authorised to do so. It also warned of the possibility of signed cheques being misused or presented for encashment without proper authorisation amid the alleged dispute.

(With agency inputs)