TMC expels eight senior leaders as Mamata moves to counter rebel faction

Upping the ante against the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday (June 23) expelled eight senior leaders including erstwhile close aid of former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Firhad Hakim.

According to an ANI report, other expelled leaders include Javed Ahmed Khan, Arup Roy, Rathin Ghosh, Biplab Mitra, Sabina Yasmin, Aroop Biswas and Snehasis Chakraborty. The development comes hours after the leaders were issued show-cause notices over alleged anti-party activities.

Eight leaders expelled

In another move apparently aimed at scuttling the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction’s bid to oust Mamata Banerjee as the chairperson of the TMC, party leaders aligned with the former Chief Minisrer stated that they had it had put in place a new national working committee two days back, and communicated it to the Election Commission hours before a rebel faction ousted her as party chairperson and announced a rival leadership line-up.

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The move appears to be Magmata’s strategy to secure her claim over the party apparatus, opening a new front in the struggle for control of the outfit she founded nearly three decades ago.

"While the rebel camp was making preparations for its own National Working Committee, Mamata Banerjee had already finalised the party's organisational structure and sent the list to the Election Commission as the chairperson of the TMC," a senior leader of her camp told PTI.

Race for party control

TMC leaders loyal to Mamata further stated that the party's leadership structure and a 24-member National Working Committee were finalised on Saturday, and the list was submitted to the EC on Monday afternoon, before the dissident camp led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee held its special session in Kolkata.

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The list submitted to the poll panel described Mamata Banerjee as the chairperson of the TMC, Subrata Bakshi as vice-president, Abhishek Banerjee as national general secretary, Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen as joint secretaries, and Subhasish Chakraborty as treasurer, reported PTI quoting sources.

The backdrop

The development comes a day after the rebel faction announced that it had removed Mamata Banerjee as party chairperson, elected senior MLA Arup Roy to the post and constituted a 30-member National Working Committee, deepening the organisational split within the party.

The report further stated that the committee structure sent to the EC differed from previous organisational arrangements, with several leaders associated with the dissident camp omitted from the list.

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Aroop Biswas, who was part of a National Working Committee constituted earlier this month, was among those dropped from the revised panel, they said.

"It is a comedy show. A man who has been expelled from the TMC is holding a special session. The matter is in the court and we believe justice will be done. We do not give any importance to such comical behaviour. TMC is equal to Mamata Banerjee. All else is a circus," senior party leader and MLA Kunal Ghosh asserted.