TMC: Important Meeting To Solve Internal Differences
By A Special Correspondent
First publised on 2022-02-12 14:53:55
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With things getting out of hand and threatening to cause deep fissures in the party, Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting of all senior leaders of the party at her residence today. TMC witnessed dissent of the kind that has never happened in the party after the civic elections were announced in the state. Ticket hopefuls, many of whom were confidantes of senior leaders, started lobbying. But with political consultant Prashant Kishor and I-PAC involved in the process, there was utter chaos and the dissent spilled on to the streets. Mamata Banerjee put her foot down and declared that the list signed by party seniors Subrata Bakshi and Partha Chatterjee will be final.
Then there was a spat between nephew and de facto second-in-command of the party, Abhishek Banerjee and some party seniors due to the one-man-one-post issue. Before holding today's meeting, Mamata has asked all party leaders to delete all post regarding this issue on social media.
TMC is a close-knit party with Mamata Banerjee as the supreme leader. No one in the party challenges, or even speaks against, her decisions. Hence, it is surprising that such things are happening. Banerjee has done the right thing by calling the meeting to solve the issue once and for all.
It is also being rumoured that differences have cropped up between Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee. Some reports have alluded to Mamata's cryptic reply that "someone is campaigning" in Goa while referring to Abhishek when she was asked why she is not campaigning there. I-PAC was roped in by Abhishek Banerjee but its growing influence and a say in all party matters are being resented by many senior leaders. State minister Chandrima Bhattacharya even accused I-PAC of creating a new account for her in social media and posting without her knowledge. I-PAC promptly denied the same and even said those making such charges were either ignorant or "blatant liars".
It is now clear that something has to give if things are to return to normal. The deliberations of the closed-door meeting will never be disclosed but it is bound to be a stormy affair. The party has to bring things back to normal otherwise its image will suffer. But such is the hold and command of Mamata Banerjee that if she decides to be firm, everyone will fall in line.
