TMC talks to disgruntled minister Rajib Banerjee, expels rebel Suvendu Adhikari’s aide

Concerned by rumblings among senior leaders prior to the crucial assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) leadership on Sunday held talks with disgruntled state forest minister Rajib Banerjee in a bid to bridge differences while expelling a close aide of heavyweight leader Suvendu Adhikari who resigned from the cabinet last month.

The expelled leader, Kanishka Panda, was secretary of the TMC unit in East Midnapore district where the Adhikari family represents two Lok Sabha seats, an assembly seat and heads a civic body.

TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee and election strategist Prashant Kishor held an hour-long meeting with the forest minister at Chatterjee’s residence at Naktala in south Kolkata on Sunday afternoon. While Chatterjee remained tight-lipped, Banerjee claimed that the talks covered “political strategy.”

Leaders close to the minister, however, said he raised issues such as corruption and nepotism by some leaders in Howrah district, where Banerjee represents the Domjur assembly seat while talking to Chatterjee and Kishor.

“I attended the meeting as a party worker. We discussed strategy for the coming days. I cannot share anything more with the media. In a party, there can be disgruntled people and there can be people who are over-satisfied. These things are sorted through discussion. I will be available if I am called for more talks,” the forest minister said.

Posters in support of Banerjee and Adhikari are appearing across West Bengal, including Kolkata, since last month, stoking speculations that the two popular and comparatively younger leaders, may leave the TMC. Posters, with images of Banerjee and the words, “symbol of honesty,” written in Bengali, appeared in Howrah on Sunday as well.

Tussle between Banerjee and senior leaders in Howrah over alleged nepotism and corruption first surfaced in public in July this year. “The rectification drive initiated by Mamata Banerjee will not succeed if action is taken against small fish and the big ones are allowed to go scot-free,” the minister said in July.

Making things tough for the party, Mihir Goswami, the legislator from the Cooch Behar South constituency in north Bengal, recently joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while Shilbhadra Dutta, the lawmaker from Barrackpore in North 24 Parganas district, voiced his dissent and declared that he will not contest in 2021.

“I do not know who are putting up these posters. I have nothing to do with it,” Rajib Banerjee said on Sunday and refused to be put in the same bracket with Adhikari.

“Please do not link me with Adhikari. His contention is his personal issue and the same applies to me. Differences can be democratically discussed in the party,” said Banerjee. He insisted that contrary to common perception, he has not distanced himself from activities of the TMC or the government.

Significantly, Adhikari’s father, Sisir Adhikari, is the eldest among the TMC’s Lok Sabha members. He is also president of the party’s East Midnapore district unit. Mamata Banerjee, while virtually addressing party leaders last week, asked him to expel all rebels immediately.

After his expulsion was announced, Kanishka Panda spoke out against the TMC and said he felt relieved. “Mamata Banerjee will understand in the coming elections what price a party has to pay for ignoring a popular leader like Suvendu and listening to Kishor’s advice. I am facing the wrath for protesting against comments made against Suvendu,” said Panda.

Akhil Giri, the legislator from Egra in East Midnapore and a known detractor of Suvendu Adhikari, said, “Panda should have been expelled long ago for anti-party activities.”

Goswami and Dutta have already spoken in public against deploying I-Pac, Kishor’s company, and organizational decisions taken on its advice. Senior TMC leaders told HT last month that Adhikari was specifically unhappy with organizational decisions taken by Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and Kishor, who was roped in after the BJP won 18 of the state’s 42 Lok Sabha seats in 2019.

Also, Adhikari, who was earlier appointed election observer for several districts, including Murshidabad, demanded that leaders of his choice be fielded next year from around 65 assembly seats. This was unacceptable to the leadership. Adhikari and Abhisek Banerjee even took potshots at each other without taking names at recent public meetings.