KALYANI/KOLKATA: In a notable display of defiance, six MLAs from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and four-time MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar attended an administrative meeting led by Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Tuesday. This event underscores the ongoing turmoil within the TMC as it faces significant losses in the post-election landscape.
The timing of this meeting coincided with comments from TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who openly criticized the change in government that led to the BJP’s victory on May 4. “Before the Ides of May, the people of West Bengal put an end to an unbearable, anarchical situation,” Roy tweeted.
The situation escalated further as two TMC MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, engaged in a closed-door meeting with BJP assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, signaling potential fractures within the party. The TMC has experienced considerable resignations, with 127 councillors from 11 civic bodies having resigned, and party boards in six municipalities now dissolved.
Ghosh Dastidar’s presence at the meeting in Nadia’s Kalyani was particularly significant. Following her recent removal as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, she stated, “The administration is for everyone; it is not a party programme.” She also directed criticism at the party leadership’s reliance on the poll consulting firm I-PAC, attributing part of TMC’s election setbacks to their strategies.
Chief Minister Adhikari acknowledged Ghosh Dastidar’s participation, indicating a shift in approach concerning administrative meetings. “When we were in opposition, we were never invited to administrative meetings. We decided that lawmakers should be invited, and the Barasat MP responded positively,” he noted. The attending TMC MLAs included Anisur Rahman, Burhan-ul-Mukddin, Bina Mondal, Surajit Mitra, Usharani Mondal, and Abdul Matin, all of whom emphasized that their presence was strictly for administrative purposes.
The meeting focused on 57 assembly segments, of which the BJP secured victories in 50. In light of these developments, TMC chief and former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has convened multiple meetings with senior party members recently. Notably, TMC member Tarak Singh from the Kolkata Municipal Corporation declined to attend a meeting called by Banerjee on Tuesday, further illustrating the internal discord within the party.
