Less than 48 hours after the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) suffered a humiliating defeat at the hands of the BJP, multiple party leaders have publicly come out against the leadership, blaming it for the debacle and alleging neglect during post-poll violence and organisational failures.
Cricketer-turned-former West Bengal junior sports minister Manoj Tiwary launched a scathing attack on former senior minister Aroop Biswas, accusing him of “insecurity” and obstructing development projects.
In a video message on social media, Tiwary said, “This corrupt government got the people’s treatment it deserved, because it never worked for people’s good, never intended to fulfil the promises it made and only cared about its personal interests.”
Tiwary, elected from Shibpur in Howrah in 2021, was denied a TMC ticket in 2026. His successor Rana Chatterjee lost the seat to BJP actor-politician Rudranil Ghosh by over 16,000 votes.
He alleged that an athletic hub project in Howrah, involving Jamaican Olympian sprinter Yohan Blake and planned with Rs 5 crore from a Rs 700 crore sports budget, was blocked by Biswas due to personal insecurity over the recognition it could have brought him.
“I was repeatedly insulted by him during official functions,” Tiwary said, adding that he was sidelined within the sports department. “In the sports department, I had nothing to do except have tea and biscuits. I wasn’t invited to events, not even during the Durand Cup despite being on the field. My chair was like a lollipop, with no effective powers.”
He also referred to the Lionel Messi event controversy at Salt Lake Stadium last year, where Biswas faced criticism over restricted viewing arrangements. “I had a hunch that something like that would happen. That’s why I did not go,” he said.
Tiwary further alleged that despite trying to push civic development in Shibpur, his efforts were blocked and he could not reach Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee. He claimed that during a cabinet meeting he directly approached her, to which she reportedly responded: “Don’t I have anything else to do?” He said she did not give him even 20 seconds and added, “I realised that very day that this government won’t last long.”
Separately, TMC spokesperson Riju Dutta posted a video alleging that senior leaders failed to respond to his SOS calls after “self-proclaimed BJP workers, who had actually switched camps from TMC,” attacked his aged in-laws on May 4 after vote-counting trends showed a clear BJP victory.
“I will be committing a sin if I do not confess that on that day, when my own house was also under attack, the only support I received was from BJP leaders, not from my own party,” Dutta said, adding that his party failed to act when his family was in distress.
In another major development, TMC MP and actor Dev (Deepak Adhikari) congratulated the BJP for receiving the people’s mandate in Bengal. He urged the incoming government to ensure unity and artistic freedom in the Bengali film industry.
“As someone deeply connected to both public life and the film fraternity, I would request the new government to uphold unity and ensure the culture of bans and divisions within the Bengali film industry becomes a thing of the past,” he wrote, adding that cinema is one of Bengal’s greatest identities. He also sought cooperation for the completion of the long-pending Ghatal Master Plan, saying, “Beyond politics, this is about safeguarding lives, securing livelihoods and giving the people of Ghatal the future they deserve.”
Meanwhile, senior TMC leaders including Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, state general secretary from Malda and former minister, and Kolkata deputy mayor Atin Ghosh, blamed the party’s perceived second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee for the defeat, alleging he was “single-handedly responsible for bringing the party down.”
Choudhury, denied a ticket from English Bazar, and Ghosh, who lost Kashipur-Belgachhia to BJP’s Ritesh Tewari by 1,651 votes, both raised concerns over leadership decisions.
TMC candidate Ratna Chatterjee, who lost Behala Paschim to BJP’s Indranil Khan by nearly 25,000 votes after being shifted from Behala Purba, also said she was unable to reach party leadership when urgent intervention was needed, particularly during post-poll developments.
She had been fielded in Behala Paschim after replacing former minister Partha Chatterjee, who was embroiled in the teachers’ recruitment scam.
In response to the internal criticism, the TMC issued a general clarification stating that such opinions should not be treated as the party’s official stance.
“We wish to clarify that any such statements made in the media or shared on social media platforms represent the personal views of the individuals concerned,” the party said, adding that it should not be interpreted as the official position unless communicated through formal party channels.