TRINAMOOL CONGRESS (TMC) chairperson and Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Saturday formed a fresh national working committee of her party in a move aimed at sending a message of unity within the party.
She made the announcement in the presence of party MP Abhishek Banerjee and other senior leaders. All present national-level portfolios in the TMC, including Abhishek Banerjee’s portfolio of National General Secretary, have been dissolved.
After Saturday’s meeting, Chatterjee said, “A 20-member committee has been formed. Excluding Mamata Banerjee, nobody was given any portfolio. These will be decided by the chairperson and will be announced later.”
Banerjee held an hour-long meeting with acting core committee members of the party at her residence in Kalighat on Saturday at 5 pm in the wake of recent reports of differences between a section of senior leaders and Abhishek Banerjee.
Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim and many other leaders who are handling key ministries in the state have been included in the working committee. Excluding Mamata and Abhishek, those part of the committee are Amit Mitra, Subrata Bakshi, Partha Chatterjee, Sudip Banerjee, Yashwant Sinha, Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Chandrima Bhattacharya, Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, Rajesh Tripathi, Jyotipriya Mullick, Asima Patra, Malay Ghatak, Anubrata Mondol, Buluchik Baraik, Goutam Dev and Shovandev Chattopadhyay. This was announced by Partha Chatterjee during a press conference.
On Feb 3, Mamata Banerjee was unanimously re-elected as TMC chairperson. The same day, TMC leader Partha Chatterjee announced that Banerjee would announce the new working committee of the party.
A senior leader of TMC said, “Senior leaders of the West Bengal TMC unit expressed reservations about the party’s association with professional agencies as political strategists. The final call will be taken by our chairperson.”
According to TMC sources, three prominent leaders have not been included in the TMC’s newly formed working committee. These three leaders are Derek O’Brien, Sougata Roy and Dulal Murmu. O’Brien and Roy are considered close to Abhishek Banerjee.
A senior leader who attended the meeting said, “Over the past few days, there has been speculation about growing differences between senior leaders in the party and Abhishek Banerjee. But Didi has sent a clear message that she is the last word in the party.”
He added, “Sushmita Dev, who is considered close to Abhishek Banerjee, was not included in the national working committee whereas Anubrata Mondol, who is the Birbhum district chief of the party, has been included in the committee.”
The latest tussle between Abhishek and senior TMC leaders came to the fore after two candidate lists were released by the TMC for the civic polls, with the party later clarifying about a “final list”.
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