KOLKATA: The battle for control of the All India Trinamool Congress escalated further on Friday after the rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee occupied the party's Metropolitan office along the EM Bypass in Kolkata, a day after staking its claim to the party's name, symbol and funds before the Election Commission.
The development came a day after the Election Commission of India asked both factions to submit their claims and counter-claims by 5.30 pm on July 6. On Thursday, the rebel delegation met Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the two Election Commissioners to press its case.
Ritabrata, the MLA from Uluberia, along with former Kolkata mayor Firhad Hakim, Arup Roy and other rebel legislators who claim to represent the "real Trinamool", held a meeting inside the office, where photographs of Mamata Banerjee remained on display.
"This is our party office. We have an emotional attachment to it. Those who were running the office earlier are not in a position to maintain it. We have requested the owner to let us continue to function from this office," rebel MLA Akhruzzaman said.
A new flex naming Howrah Madhya MLA Arup Roy as the party chairman was also put up inside the office.
At a special meeting on June 22, the dissident camp had announced a new 30-member working committee with Roy as chairman. Mamata Banerjee was named an adviser, while her nephew Abhishek Banerjee was removed as the party's national general secretary.
"We want Mamata di to stay as an adviser. We have appealed to her. Why is she not advising us?" Akhruzzaman said.
The Trinamool Congress had operated for years from Trinamool Bhaban off the EM Bypass in Topsia, but shifted to the Metropolitan office while its original headquarters underwent renovation. Following the party's defeat in the Assembly elections, the owner of the Metropolitan building reportedly served an eviction notice.
Soon after learning about the occupation, Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh reached the office and found the main gate locked by the rebel faction.
"A culture of forcible occupation is prevailing in the state. With the direct help of the state and police, a suspended MLA is working as the BJP's B-team," Ghosh alleged.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has expelled Ritabrata Banerjee and rebel MLA Sandipan Saha for anti-party activities.
"We have just reached here. We are holding talks with the leadership. Those who cannot appear in daytime came here in the evening to create drama. These people were also elected on a Trinamool ticket. They cannot go to their constituencies and stand by party workers facing violence. Differences can be sorted out within the party," Ghosh said.
Separately, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday sought an affidavit from the private bank holding the party's frozen accounts and directed the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate to submit a progress report on its investigation.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has moved the High Court seeking reactivation of three frozen party bank accounts after the Bidhannagar Police Commissionerate recommended that they be frozen over allegations of fund diversion.
Hearing the matter, Justice Saugata Bhattacharya questioned the "hot haste" with which the accounts were frozen and sought details of the funds lying in them.
The accounts were frozen after former minister Aroop Biswas, then serving as party treasurer, wrote to the bank requesting a freeze over fears of fund diversion. Biswas has since been removed from the post by the party leadership.
