Abhishek Banerjee: Challenges to keep the flock together amid Trinamool bickering

New Delhi, Dec 15 West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress has been witnessing alleged infightings and one-upmanship among party leaders even as administrative challenges from law-and-order situation, teacher recruitment scam, among other issues, have been troubling the government led by its supremo Mamata Banerjee.

Reports suggest that even the latest on-field fracas in Kolkata, witnessed at the beginning of Lionel Messi’s India tour, was preceded by a tussle between two state ministers for the control of the Argentine football superstar’s local schedule.

From state ministers to district-level intra-party power struggles, to squabbling Parliamentarians have all successively been embarrassing the leadership, while heinous crimes, including the rape and murder of an intern at the R. G. Kar Hospital and the teacher recruitment scam, have rocked the government.

Since earlier this year, Mamata’s nephew and Trinamool General Secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, has taken upon himself to attend organisational matters, though keeping publicly out of government affairs.

After initiating meetings with party leaders back home – seen as an attempt at revamping the organisation from the grassroots region ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls – he has now embarked on what is being seen as an attempt at settling differences among MPs.

Incidentally, the three-time MP from Diamond Harbour recently replaced veteran MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay as Trinamool leader in Lok Sabha on Mamata’s instructions. The 75-year-old Bandyopadhyay has been going through untoward health conditions.

Earlier this year, Trinamool MPs indulged in open confrontations with name-calling bordering on indecency, were caught squabbling on camera inside the Election Commission office, followed by an outburst on a closed-group WhatsApp chat.

Despite the top leadership having instructed the sparring leaders to mend their ways, some have gone ahead and poured out their hearts in public.

Trinamool leaders have claimed that Abhishek’s meeting with Parliamentarians is aimed at discussing organisational responsibilities ahead of crucial Assembly elections in West Bengal next year.

However, party insiders have claimed that he also intends to address disciplinary matters, like the one arising out of the smoking controversies inside Parliament premises and an open spat between Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra that refuses to end.

Abhishek is said to have taken note of the state’s principal Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) aggressive political push before the upcoming polls.

There is also the precedent of Mamata losing in 2021 to her former trusted lieutenant, Suvendu Adhikari, from the Nandigram Assembly seat. Though the margin was less than 2,000 votes, the loss of the supremo robbed the colour of the Trinamool’s celebration over an emphatic victory the last time.

Mamata had to re-contest from her home constituency of Bhabanipur later.

Some leaders claim that both Abhishek and Mamata had later rued the latter’s insistence on directly challenging Suvendu on his home turf.

Suvendu is considered the principal character from the Trinamool, having organised and executed the Nandigram movement against the construction of a chemical hub, paving the way to the fall of the Left Front government.

Lately, since Mamata reconstructed her core group, Abhishek has been driving a performance‑based organisational overhaul of the party aimed at tightening grassroots control, professionalising cadres, and pre‑empting electoral slippage ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

His push mixes municipal reshuffles, district‑level reviews and public mobilisation, and now, it may be Parliamentarians.

--IANS

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