Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Wednesday said the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is “surrendering” before the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as the party grapples with an escalating internal crisis.
Speaking to ANI, Chowdhury alleged that the “Eknath Shinde model” was being replicated in West Bengal, and claimed that fears of backlash from the Muslim community could discourage TMC legislators from switching to the BJP.
“They are surrendering in front of the BJP… All the elected representatives who are trying to make a new party have at least one accusation of corruption against them… This will make it impossible for Mamata Banerjee to become the leader of the opposition… The MLAs of the TMC are scared that if they join the BJP, Muslims will not let them do it,” he said.
The remarks come amid deepening turbulence within the TMC, where a group of rebel MLAs — including expelled leaders Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha — has claimed support from 58 legislators in the West Bengal Assembly. The faction has rejected the party leadership’s nomination of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
In a letter submitted to Speaker Biman Banerjee, the group has demanded that Ritabrata Banerjee be appointed Leader of the Opposition, while also seeking key posts such as Chief Whip and Deputy LoP positions for several members. The letter also reiterates Mamata Banerjee as the party’s overall leader.
The Speaker has acknowledged receipt of the communication, and the matter is currently under consideration.
If the claim of 58 supporting MLAs holds, the faction would cross the two-thirds threshold under anti-defection rules, potentially paving the way for a formal split and a political realignment within the state Assembly.
Meanwhile, the TMC on Wednesday announced a sweeping organisational overhaul, dissolving all its committees in West Bengal along with its frontal organisations.
In a statement posted on X, the party said the move was aimed at a comprehensive review of organisational performance.
“The party will undertake a comprehensive exercise of introspection, performance review and organisational assessment at every level… Based on the findings, the organisational structure… will be reconstituted and announced in due course,” it said.
The party added that the restructuring is intended to “strengthen its organisation and prepare it to meet future challenges with renewed vigour and purpose.”
(With inputs from ANI)
