TMC rebels move to strip Mamata of organisational control

West Bengal's Trinamool Congress (TMC) has been plunged into its deepest internal crisis yet after a rebel faction led by leader of the opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday, 22 June, claimed to have removed the party's founder Mamata Banerjee from organisational control and announced the formation of a new national working committee for what it described as the "real" Trinamool Congress, though the constitutional validity of the move remains in question.

The dramatic development unfolded at a special session held at a luxury hotel in New Town shortly after the presentation of the West Bengal Budget. Attended by around 60 TMC MLAs and nearly 70 councillors, the dissident camp declared that the existing national working committee had ceased to be valid and unveiled a new leadership structure that excludes Mamata Banerjee.

The move marks the culmination of months of growing unrest within the TMC, which intensified after allegations emerged that the signatures of several MLAs had been forged in documents submitted to the Assembly speaker regarding appointments to key legislative posts.

Ritabrata Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha were among the first to challenge the legitimacy of the signatures, triggering a rebellion that gradually spread through the party's legislative ranks. Several MLAs subsequently rallied behind Ritabrata, who eventually secured the support of a majority of dissident legislators. The revolt has since extended beyond the Assembly, with councillors and local leaders increasingly joining the rebel camp.

Explaining the rationale behind Monday's move, Ritabrata Banerjee told the gathering: "Article 20 of the Trinamool Congress constitution clearly stipulates that the party's National Working Committee must be reconstituted every three years. The last National Working Committee was formed on 12 February 2022. More than three years have passed, yet a new committee has not been constituted."

Citing this provision, the rebels passed a resolution dissolving the previous committee and replacing it with a new 30-member body.

Former minister and Howrah Central MLA Arup Roy was named chairperson of the newly constituted committee. Former minister Arup Biswas, along with MLAs Firhad Hakim and Rathin Ghosh, were appointed vice-chairpersons. Ritabrata Banerjee, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Sabina Yasmin were named general secretaries, while Akhruzzaman was appointed treasurer.

Arup Roy said, "Having assessed the current situation, we felt it was necessary to form a new committee so that we can actively work on the ground and support our workers and supporters."

The rebels have stopped short of formally expelling Mamata Banerjee from the organisation, but Ritabrata indicated that they no longer envisage an executive role for her. Instead, she may be offered an advisory position.

Earlier in the day, several media reports claimed that the rebel faction had adopted a resolution suspending Mamata's nephew and the party's national general-secretary Abhishek Banerjee from his post. According to those reports, the proposal was unanimously supported by those present at the meeting.

However, Ritabrata Banerjee denied that any such decision had been taken. "We will inform the Election Commission about the technical aspects of today's decisions. There was no discussion regarding Abhishek Banerjee during the meeting. We have seen reports about his suspension, but we are not aware of any such decision," he told reporters.

His remarks appeared to contradict reports suggesting that the dissident camp had moved against Abhishek Banerjee as part of its wider organisational restructuring.

In a symbolic departure from party tradition, neither Mamata Banerjee's nor Abhishek Banerjee's photograph appeared at the venue. Instead, portraits of Rabindranath Tagore, Mahatma Gandhi and B.R. Ambedkar were displayed alongside the party symbol.

Among those present at Monday's meeting were Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan, Rathin Ghosh and several former Kolkata Municipal Corporation councillors. Former councillors from districts including Murshidabad and Berhampore also attended.

However, the dissidents' claim to represent the "real" Trinamool Congress has been fiercely challenged by leaders loyal to Mamata Banerjee.

Following a separate meeting at Mamata Banerjee's Kalighat residence, Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh dismissed the rebels' actions outright. "Trinamool and Mamata Banerjee are synonymous. Given our party's structure, they have no authority to take such actions," Ghosh said.

His remarks reflected the view among loyalists that the rebel faction lacks the constitutional authority to remove the party's founder or restructure the organisation without her approval.

Even some leaders attending the special session acknowledged that the gathering represented a break from the party's traditional leadership model.

Long-time TMC leader Debashis Kumar, who was present at the event, told reporters: "Today there was a special session of the All India Trinamool Congress. I am not in the working committee and hence I don't know much. I have just been invited to show my support."

Meanwhile, former TMC leader Arup Chakraborty offered a blunt assessment of the situation. "There is no doubt that it is because of Mamata Banerjee that the Left was ousted from power (in West Bengal). But she is old now. I don't know whether she can give leadership or fight like before anymore. So, the special session was called today and together the decision was taken," he said.

Reacting cautiously to the developments, BJP leader Debjit Sarkar said, "Their own party members are accusing each other and we have nothing to do in this. They know their party better."

Sources claimed that legal experts from Delhi have been advising the faction on issues relating to party assets, bank accounts and organisational control. The group is also said to be exploring options regarding party offices and future claims over the TMC name and symbol.

Despite the bold declarations made on Monday, constitutional experts note that the rebels' claims are far from settled. Questions remain over whether the dissident faction can secure formal recognition from relevant authorities and whether it can legitimately claim ownership of the TMC organisation.