Mamata to meet senior TMC leaders today to address complaints

The trouble within Trinamool Congress (TMC) has come to fore once again with party supremo Mamata Banerjee calling a meeting of top leaders in Kolkata on Saturday (February 12) over nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s controversial decision to impose ‘One Man, One Post’ policy.

It is quite evident that the old guard within the party is not happy with young Banerjee’s insistence on restricting every party leader to one post only. Several MLAs, MPs and senior leaders hold more than one position and are miffed by the latest party diktat. They had approached Mamata Banerjee with their complaint. Therefore, the West Bengal Chief Minister called a meeting on Saturday.

Party sources said that Mamata is expected to hear out the senior leaders upset with the decision. A section within the party sees it as a direct confrontation between the aunt and her nephew Abhishek, seen as number 2 in the party.

Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC, Indian Political Action Committee, which is credited with Mamata Banerjee’s resounding win in 2021, is caught in the tussle between the two factions in the party. Abhishek Banerjee is considered close to Kishor and a liaison between the party and I-PAC.

The Saturday’s meeting was necessitated by an open fight between senior leader Chandrima Bhattacharya and I-PAC after she said that her social media accounts was “misused” by Prashant Kishor’s team to post a message favouring ‘One Man, One Post’ policy.

Also read: Why Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC wants to end contract with TMC

“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,” Chandrima Bhattacharya was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.

The I-PAC countered, “I-PAC doesn’t handle any digital properties of @AITCofficial or any of its leaders. Anyone making such claim is either uninformed or is blatantly lying. AITC should look into if and how their digital properties and/or that of their leaders are being ‘allegedly (mis)used’.”

Meanwhile, all is not good between aunt Mamata and her nephew Abhishek. A few days back, when the West Bengal CM was on way to Lucknow to campaign for Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, journalists asked if she would go to Goa as well. Mamata gave a cryptic reply: “Somebody is doing, so I am not. I am going to other places… in greater interest.” Political pundits assume the “somebody” she referred to could be Abhishek.

I-PAC representatives have refrained to openly comment on the issue, but sources with the consultant group say there is no trouble between the organisation and Trinamool.