Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], July 4 (ANI): Following the takeover of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) state headquarters by TMC’s rebel faction, West Bengal Minister Dilip Ghosh on Saturday termed the internal rift as the party’s “internal matter,” adding that the law and the Speaker will decide on the ownership of offices and Assembly seats.
Speaking on the developments within the TMC, Ghosh said that while such behaviour should be avoided, the legal framework would determine the leadership positions.
“This is TMC’s internal matter. Who occupies offices or Assembly seats will be decided by the Speaker and the law. But such behaviour should not happen. In democracy, the opposition has a critical role — to guide government and ensure good governance,” Ghosh told reporters.
The Minister also took a sharp dig at TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee, alleging that “provocative” statements during the election period led to widespread post-poll violence in the state.
On Calcutta High Court turning down a request for immediate relief to Banerjee on his plea to challenge a proposal to collect his voice sample in connection with a case involving his ‘DJ’ remarks, Ghosh said, “Their statements during the election time have been provocative. Many of our party workers were attacked, their homes were destroyed in post-poll violence. Such people should not remain outside; jail is the right place for them,” he added.
Ghosh’s remarks come after heavy CRPF and Kolkata Police deployment outside the party’s Metropolitan state office on Friday.
The lockdown followed claims that a rebel group led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee had taken control of the headquarters. The move came a day after the dissident bloc petitioned the Election Commission in New Delhi, claiming the 28-year-old party’s name, funds, and twin-flower symbol.
Accompanied by Firhad Hakim, Javed Khan, and Akhruzzaman, Banerjee entered the EM Bypass office, the party’s nerve centre since 2022, to assert control. The rebels replaced signage and put up a banner naming senior MLA Arup Roy as the new chairman, in place of Mamata Banerjee.
The faction said the building’s lease had expired and a new agreement was signed under their working committee.
“This is our party office, and it will remain our party office. The key to the main gate will be with us,” MLA Akhruzzaman said, adding they still respect the photographs of Mamata Banerjee on display, while rejecting Abhishek Banerjee’s leadership.
The dramatic takeover triggered immediate fury from the camp loyal to Mamata Banerjee, prompting senior leaders to hit the streets and lodge emergency police complaints.
With Kolkata Police announcing that they will verify the official ownership and lease documents of the building before allowing regular political activities to resume, the immediate battlefield shifts to New Delhi.
The Election Commission has directed both the Mamata Banerjee loyalists and the Ritabrata Banerjee faction to submit their comprehensive organisational claims and counterclaims by 5:30 PM on July 6. (ANI)
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