Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday appeared to face multiple setbacks, making many question the standing of the party that once ruled West Bengal.
In just one day, rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee was elected leader of the opposition, reports emerged of Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim’s resignation, and the Enforcement Directorate summoned Abhishek Banerjee in the primary teacher recruitment scam.
This blow to the TMC also comes a month after it suffered a huge loss to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
Multiple setbacks for Mamata
The rebel leader becomes LoP
In a major setback for the TMC, West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Nath Bose recognized the 58 rebel lawmakers as the main opposition party in the 294-member House, making Ritabrata Banerjee the next leader of the opposition.
The rebel faction, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, comes after party MLAs called for a move away from Abhishek Banerjee, who has been the second-in-command since 2016.
“Mamata Banerjee is a tall leader. We appeal to her to be our chief advisor. We can play a positive and constructive role as the opposition with her advice. If we have to vote against a bill, we will do so, but we will not withdraw to help someone else,” Banerjee said, adding that this decision was part of their move against ‘individualism’.
The internal discord in the TMC also comes after more than 100 council members resigned from their positions, and many of them were absent from work.
Kolkata mayor to resign?
In another setback, Kunal Ghosh, a senior TMC leader, said on Wednesday that party leader Firhad Hakim would resign from the post of mayor of Kolkata. Hakim, who has been a trusted aide of Mamata for a long time, pointed to difficulties in working after the BJP came to power.
“At that time, he was asked not to resign. However, today he again asked Mamata Banerjee to allow him to step down, after which she agreed,” Ghosh told reporters on Wednesday.
Despite Ghosh’s statement, Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) Mayor Mala Roy told PTI that she has not received any resignation letter from the mayor.
ED summons Abhishek Banerjee
The Enforcement Directorate has summoned TMC Secretary General Abhishek Banerjee. Banerjee, who is also Mamata’s nephew, was asked to appear before the central agency on June 15 in connection with a money laundering probe linked to the primary teacher recruitment case in the state.
The summons from the ED comes after the agency suspected Banerjee of being a beneficiary of recruitment scandals in the state.
Besides the teacher recruitment scandal, Banerjee was questioned by the DEA in 2022 in connection with its probe into money laundering worth $1,352 crore in the illegal coal mining case. The TMC Secretary-General is also under investigation in connection with investigations into the political consulting firm I-PAC.
