String of suspensions in Trinamool for promoting Abhishek’s name

file image. | Photo credit: Ap

A string of suspensions in the youth wing of the Trinamool Congress has once again focused attention on the leadership debate in the party and calls for a bigger role for party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

The Trinamool Congress on Friday expelled Monishankar Mandal, vice-president of the party’s professorial cell West Bengal College and University Professors Association (WBCUPA) and Pritam Haldar, acting president of the Trinamool Teachers’ Association.

The development is important as Shri Mandal has been calling for the party general secretary to play an additional role in including the government. Mr. Mandal also put up posters describing Mr. Banerjee as a “game changer” in the Lok Sabha elections. According to party sources, the statement made by the leader of the professors’ union did not sit well with the party leadership.

“I would like to inform Mr. Bratya Basu, Hon’ble MIC, Education Department and Chairman of Party Education Cell that Monishankar Mandal, Pritam Halder and other related persons have been expelled from all their posts and organizations with immediate effect. Their undisciplined activities,” Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh said.

Mr. Ghosh said that the Trinamool leadership approved the decision of Education Cell Chief Bratya Basu. “There is no question of failure. A section is trying to twist the issue by using distorted news and creating a false narrative,” the Trinamool leader added.

Reacting to his suspension from the party, Mr Mandal said praising Abhishek Banerjee could not be an “anti-party” activity in the Trinamool.

A few days ago, the party issued a show-cause notice to Bharatpur Trinamool Congress MLA Humayun Kabir for making similar comments and publicly supporting Abhishek Banerjee’s larger role in the West Bengal government.

In another development, the party suspended West Bengal Trinamool Yuva Congress president Tarun Tiwari for “anti-party activities”. The youth leader of the party was arrested by the Kolkata Police on charges of extorting money. The complainant said the youth leader withdrew the money saying he was close to Mr. Banerjee.

The developments came after party president and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee ended all speculation about the leadership debate. On December 3, Ms Banerjee told her party MLAs that the Trinamool Congress had the final say.

“I am still there. I am the last word,” said the party president. While it is clear in political circles that Abhishek Banerjee is number two in the party, there are occasional voices from within the party that call for a bigger role for the Diamond Harbor MP, both in the party and in the government. .