KOLKATA: Recent developments within the Trinamool Congress suggests growing distance between party supremo Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. This has resulted in significant changes in the hierarchy. Posts of all top-level office-bearers have been dissolved and the party formed its first national working committee headed by the West Bengal chief minister on Saturday.
The committee was formed in an emergency meeting convened by Mamata at her Kalighat residence. It comprises 19 members, including Abhishek. It is said that this has been done to clip Abhishek’s wings. “The role of individual committee members is yet to be decided,’’ said TMC’s secretary-general Partha Chatterjee.
“All national-level posts in the party hierarchy have been dissolved. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is heading the national working committee,” said transport minister Firhad Hakim, who was inducted in the national working committee.
Abhishek was the party’s national general secretary. Sources said Mamata is upset with her nephew, who wanted to field many young faces in the civic polls but the idea was rejected by the party chief. Insiders in the party said Abhishek, who is considered number two in the party and is trying to make his own mark, has expressed a desire to step down as national general secretary. Significantly, Mamata is in no mood to dissuade him.
The distance between Mamata and Abhshek became visible when a section of party leaders, known to be close to Abhishek, wanted young candidates for the civic polls. GThis was turned down by Mamata.
“Election strategist Prashant Kishor’s team iPAC, which was hired on Abhishek’s suggestion after the party’s poor show in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, tabled a list of candidates for elections in 108 civic bodies. But it was not approved by Mamata. iPAC uploaded a candidate list without Mamata’s approval on the party’s social media platform. We had to release a second list. It annoyed Mamata and embarrassed the party,’’ said a TMC leader.
This leader said Mamata also turned down iPAC’s suggestion of fielding young candidates in the Kolkata Municipal Corporation elections.She reposed faith on her old loyalists. “The party has initiated discussions to terminate the contract with Kishor and iPAC,’’ he said. “Almost all members of the national working committee are party old-timers. Those in favour of young faces in civic polls were not given berths.”