Mamata and Her TMC Manush: Tapas Roy Startles the Party Among Defections, Old Guard vs. New Guard, and Imprisoned Leaders

Again, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing an “implosion” before the poll when senior leader and MLA Tapas Roy resigned from office, alleging “corruption” in the party and “humiliation” he suffered during an ED raid in January.

“The TMC has been experiencing these types of implosions prior to elections since 2019,” a senior TMC politician who is reportedly close to TMC head Mamata Banerjee and the chief minister of West Bengal said. Before the 2019 general elections, Mukul Roy left the party and took a number of our leaders, including several MLAs. Suvendu Adhikari later deserted, before the 2021 elections. He brought his group with him as well. The party was harmed, therefore, I can’t argue that it didn’t,” the leader said.

In 2021, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) gained 77 seats, up from two in 2019. Their portion of the vote increased as well. We have spent a lot of time attempting to resolve this. However, party divisions continue not only at the state level but also at the local and block levels. Although we lack a rigid hierarchy, there is still room for improvement in our central command organization. When Roy was in the party, he established a parallel system; similar events are occurring once again. It is imperative that both our younger and senior colleagues acknowledge Mamata Banerjee as our ultimate leader. Nobody or anything can alter it. She is Trinamool, she is our party. She is West Bengal’s superpower,” he said.

Within-party conflicts, factional rivalries, and the creation of rival institutions over issues of power and profit are not new in the TMC. But this time, a number of things transpired differently, giving the whole scenario the appearance of a proxy conflict between the old and new guards. Senior officials of the Trinamool remark, “And there is a pattern.”

THE “PATTERN” AND “PROXIES”
The sequence of events comes first. Party senior leader Kunal Ghosh, who is close to party national general secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee, announced his resignation as state general secretary and spokesman on social media three days before Roy’s resignation. He was a “misfit” in the system, Ghosh said. His remarks were poignant, important, and politically adroit.

A few hours later, he accused veteran Sudip Bandyopadhyay and the party’s three-term MP from north Kolkata of working along with the BJP. In an interview with the media, he said that Bandyopadhyay looked like “Shajahan.” These were all open remarks made by one very senior party leader against another very senior leader.

It’s interesting to note that Ghosh spoke for three days without being silenced by top leadership, announcing that he would always serve as a “soldier” for the TMC. Roy resigned from the party and his seat as an MLA three days later, claiming he was “humiliated” by the party’s lack of support after the ED raid on his home on January 12. Among other reasons, he mentioned “corruption and Sandeshkhali” occurrences. While Ghosh was seeing Roy at his house on Monday, he got a “show-cause notice” from the party.

A top TMC leader and MP, requesting anonymity, said, “Tapas Roy’s issues are personal.” He was offended that, after the ED raid, no senior leader had contacted him or offered consolation. He was unable to address his other complaints. He was trying to get into the organization for a key job, but he was not successful. As the problems mounted, he took the appropriate action. It is a given that he was provoked. That is concerning. The party must address it as well.”

OLD GUIARD: “IT’S DOWN OR OUT”
It is evident from a glance at Banerjee’s staff of seasoned and devoted colleagues that Didi’s faithful lieutenants are either out of favor or in prison. Not present are a number of senior leaders, including Suvendu Adhikari, Anubrato Mondal, Jyotipriyo Mallick, Sovan Chatterjee, and Partha Chatterjee. Mondal, who once oversaw a large portion of the western area, including Birbhum and Burdwan, and managed finances and cadres, is now incarcerated. Mallick, a former devoted general of Didi who oversaw North 24 Parganas, a significant portion of Didi’s fort in south Bengal, is incarcerated as well.

Former minister of education and industry Chatterjee is also incarcerated. Suvendu Adhikari, Mukul Roy, and Sovan Chatterjee all defected. Adhikari is now up against her nephew and the chief minister, according to the BJP. After a protracted stay in the BJP, Roy joined the TMC again, although a source said that he is too sick to be of any use to the party.

South 24 Parganas chief Sovan Chatterjee left the party, briefly joined the BJP, and is no longer involved in politics. Numerous more officials in the state and district structures have resigned or switched allegiances.

A new leadership, headed by Abhishek, has emerged in this scenario. West Bengal has had public altercations between the previous and current leadership on several occasions. But each time, it was overseen by a team of high-ranking officials who referred to it as “speculation” or “media conjecture.”