The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Tuesday expelled eight senior leaders, including Firhad Hakim and Arup Roy, after they joined a rebel faction that announced a parallel leadership structure for the party.
Those expelled include Javed Ahmed Khan, Firhad Hakim, Arup Roy, Rathin Ghosh, Biplab Mitra, Sabina Yasmin, Aroop Biswas and Snehasis Chakraborty, ANI news agency reported.
Earlier in the day, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) issued show-cause notices to the leaders, accusing them of indulging in anti-party activities.
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Madan Mitra as new party whip
The party also moved to replace Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip in the West Bengal Assembly. On Monday night, the TMC wrote to Assembly Speaker Biman Banerjee nominating MLA Madan Mitra as the new Chief Whip.
Senior TMC leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay visited the Speaker's office on Tuesday to submit a hard copy of the communication, but the office declined to accept it, citing the matter as "sub-judice".
{{/usCountry}}Senior TMC leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay visited the Speaker's office on Tuesday to submit a hard copy of the communication, but the office declined to accept it, citing the matter as "sub-judice".
{{/usCountry}}According to the party, an official email had already been sent the previous night.
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Why were Firhad Hakim and others expelled?
The action came a day after a rebel faction led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee announced a parallel leadership structure for the party.
The group named Arup Roy as chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress and constituted a 30-member National Working Committee (NWC).
Addressing reporters on Monday, Ritabrata Banerjee said Arup Roy had been unanimously elected chairperson during a special session attended by party delegates.
"A special session of the All India Trinamool Congress was organised here today. During this session, the All India Trinamool Congress Committee and the NWC were constituted through a unanimous election of delegates.
Arup Roy has been elected as the Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Congress," he said.
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Rebel factions' move
The rebel faction also appointed former minister Aroop Biswas and MLA Firhad Hakim as vice-chairpersons. Banerjee said the 30-member committee included Firhad Hakim, Arup Biswas, Rathin Ghosh, Sabina Yasmin, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and others, adding that district presidents and district committees would be constituted in the coming days.
"We have repeatedly stated our stance regarding Mamata Banerjee's role within the TMC. We want 'Didi' to assume the responsibility of a mentor and guide us," he said.
Ritabrata Banerjee questioned the legitimacy of decisions taken by the rival faction during a National Working Committee meeting chaired by Mamata Banerjee.
The developments mark a sharp escalation in the organisational crisis within the ruling party, with the rival camp seeking to establish a parallel structure while maintaining that Mamata Banerjee should continue to serve as the party's mentor.