A major split has erupted in the Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly, with MLA Ritabrata Banerjee breaking away to form a separate legislative group that claims the allegiance of 60 of the party’s 80 MLAs and has been recognised by the Assembly Speaker as the Leader of the Opposition. The move follows Ritabrata’s expulsion from the party three days earlier; despite his break, he insisted that he still regarded Mamata Banerjee as his leader and said the rebellion was aimed at “one individual”.
Party insiders and rebel lawmakers point that finger at Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC general secretary, MP and nephew of Mamata Banerjee. According to the account from TMC sources, Abhishek’s rapid rise after 2011 — from president of the party’s youth wing to MP for Diamond Harbour in 2014 and then general secretary — fuelled tensions as older, founding leaders were gradually sidelined.
Insiders describe a change in how the party operated under Abhishek’s growing influence. After Prashant Kishor left I-PAC following the 2021 Assembly polls, Abhishek reportedly retained the consultancy’s services through a five-year contract and used the firm’s data and personnel extensively in Bengal. Critics in the party say I-PAC became, in effect, Abhishek’s private instrument — advising on candidate selection and field operations and collecting intelligence on leaders from the block level up to the Lok Sabha. Those insiders argue this reliance hollowed out the party’s traditional organisational structures and local decision-making.
Several TMC leaders told reporters that candidates were increasingly chosen on the basis of I-PAC feedback rather than local consultations, and that some staff used this power to coerce loyalty by threatening negative reports. The rebels say Abhishek’s approach introduced a corporate, top-down style — data-driven strategies and area-dominance tactics — that replaced the personal, grassroots politics associated with Mamata Banerjee.
Journalists and local leaders describe Abhishek as less accessible than Mamata. One reporter recounted repeated efforts to secure an interview with the TMC general secretary, receiving the curt response “We’ll see,” and finding aides unhelpful. Councillors and MLAs said meeting Mamata is comparatively easy, while attempts to see Abhishek often ended in long waits outside his residence and no audience.
As the party confronts what rebels call its lowest political moment, those who have split insist they remain loyal to Mamata Banerjee and seek her guidance — while vowing they will not tolerate Abhishek Banerjee’s continued dominance. A senior TMC leader summed up the contrast between the two generations in one line: “One is Rabindra Sangeet, the other is DJ music.”
Original Source: https://www.ndtv.com/india-news/why-is-one-trinamool-section-up-in-arms-against-mamata-banerjees-nephew-11590442#publisher=newsstand
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Publish Date: 2026-06-04 15:29:00
