Courts or streets? What will Mamata choose after rebels 'seize' TMC HQ | Capital Beat

The tug-of-war between two factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal to establish control over the 'real' party has intensified. The tussle stormed headlines on Friday (July 3) when rebel MLAs of the party allegedly took control of its headquarters in Kolkata, Trinamool Bhavan, a day after meeting Election Commission (EC) officials in New Delhi, when they staked a claim to the party's name, poll symbol and organisational structure.

Also read: TMC crisis deepens as state party chief Chandrima Bhattacharya resigns from all posts

The Federal spoke with a panel to examine the situation in this edition of Capital Beat to understand the possible implications for the camps concerned, including that of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, who founded the TMC in 1998 and of Ritabrata Banerjee, the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.

Those who took part in the discussion included All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) spokesperson Manojit Mandal, senior journalist and political commentator Shikha Mukherjee, and The Federal's Samir K Purkayastha.

As the rebel faction allegedly took charge of the party's operational headquarters, changing the locks, putting up fresh posters and declaring that it would operate from the premises.

Also read: What went wrong for Mamata Banerjee and what lies ahead for TMC? | Capital Beat

Ritabrata was accompanied to the office located near Kolkata's EM Bypass by senior rebel leaders Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and party treasurer Akhruzzaman. They held a meeting inside the premises. The office has served as the party's operational headquarters since 2022, after the TMC shifted there during the reconstruction of its original building. Mamata's residence in Kalighat continues to serve as the party's central office.

'Mamata supporters will tackle traitors'

"Mamata Di's supporters, over 2.5 crore of them, will be more bolstered to tackle these traitors," Mandal said, adding, "It's quite clear that they were trespassers." Noting that the office was hired by the party in 2022 while its original building was under reconstruction, he claimed the alleged takeover was carried out "with the help of the police and central forces".

Arguing that the rebel leaders were more "traitors", Mandal said that under the party's constitution, Mamata has been elected as the chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress "until her death".

He added that "the party exists beyond the legislative party", drawing a comparison with the Communist Party of India (Marxist), which he said continued to exist despite having no MLAs in the Assembly since 2021.

Mukherjee stepped in, describing the reported takeover as a case where "possession is nine-tenths of the law". She observed that "you take possession of something, whether it's legally done or illegally done; it hardly matters". Mukherjee characterised the rebel faction's claim over the party's name and symbol as "a kind of intellectual piracy".

What's government's role? Panel weighs in

She also said the state government had not acted on complaints from the TMC's Kalighat camp and drew a comparison with the eviction of hawkers and pavement dwellers elsewhere in the state. "If that is exactly what it is all about, then what are these bulldozers doing evicting hawkers and pavement dwellers? They are also squatters. They also have rights," she said.

Purkayastha said the resignation by Chandrima Bhattacharya, who had been named the party's Bengal state president a month earlier, on Thursday (July 4), was a bigger setback for the TMC than the Bhavan's takeover itself, since she had also been Mamata's authorised contact person for the EC.

Also read: Bengal's Didi shield cracks: How Mamata Banerjee lost the state she dominated

"Instead of holding the government accountable, we are still discussing the future of the opposition party," Purkayastha said, adding that the dispute over control of the TMC had shifted attention away from issues such as hawker evictions.

What can Mamata camp do now?

On what could follow after the rebels' takeover of the party headquarters, Mandal said it may result in criminal cases since the building is a rented property. He noted that TMC MLAs, including Kunal Ghosh and Madan Mitra, who are not among the rebels, had not been allowed to enter the premises.

He said Mamata remained "the most popular leader in this state," citing her social media following, which he said was three times that of Suvendu Adhikari, the current chief minister.

Mandal added that the former CM's position as party chairperson was constitutionally strong and that the matter would ultimately need to be resolved in a court of law rather than before the EC.

Also read: TMC split: The legal gamble behind the rebel MPs' merger with NCPI

According to Purkayastha, the poll body would decide the matter based on which faction could demonstrate a majority, noting that the rebel faction held majority support among the party's MLAs in the Assembly. A separate group of the party's Lok Sabha MPs had recently merged with the National Citizens' Party of India.

Mamata still 'the best-known opposition face' in Bengal

Asked whether Mamata was emerging as a victor in the eyes of the people despite the electoral defeat in May, Mukherjee said a section of the electorate believed she should have won the Assembly election, citing what she described as discrepancies between voting patterns and declared results in certain constituencies.

Mukherjee also referred to the state's direct cash-transfer scheme for women, stating that over 50 per cent of women who were previously receiving the benefit were no longer getting it.

She cited the case of R Rajagopal, a former editor of the Kolkata-based daily The Telegraph, who was denied a passport after his name was excluded from the electoral rolls under the Special Intensive Revision process, adding that Kerala Chief Minister V D Satheesan had taken up the case.

Also read: Senior journalist Rajagopal gets passport renewed; Kerala CM welcomes move

The senior journalist also said that Mamata's response on July 21, a day when her party has traditionally held a mega Martyrs' Day rally over the years, would be closely watched. She described the former chief minister as "certainly the best-known opposition face in West Bengal."

Will Mamata hold online rally on July 21?

Purkayastha said the government had imposed prohibitory orders in central Kolkata for 60 days ahead of the Martyrs' Day. He said Mamata was expected to address her supporters through a Facebook Live session.

According to him, building a mass movement required the party to first resolve its internal disputes. He felt the developments around the Bhavan's 'takeover' appeared intended to prevent Mamata from returning to street politics, her signature style.

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