Ahead of the November 13 bypolls in six assembly constituencies in West Bengal, the ruling Trinamool Congress has been marred with internal feud. On Thursday, Usha Rani Mondal, a TMC MLA from the Minakhan constituency in North 24 Parganas district, was allegedly attacked by a group of TMC workers.
Usha Rani was attacked while returning from the nearby Haroa constituency, where she had attended a Kali Puja event with her husband. Reportedly, a mob blocked their car and threw stones at it.
The MLA stated that the mob forcibly pulled her from the car and assaulted her with rods near the auto stand in Haroa, one of the constituencies set for the by-election. She reportedly suffered an injury to her right leg. Some of her supporters travelling with her were also attacked.
Usha Rani lodged a complaint at the Haroa Police Station, accusing Khalek Mollah, a local TMC leader in Haroa, of orchestrating the attack. Molla denied the allegations, claiming instead that the MLA and her supporters had attacked Mallika Mondal, the local panchayat chief and a fellow TMC member.
Khalek accused Usha Rani of having ties with the BJP. During the 2024 Lok Sabha election campaign, she missed a rally held by Mamata Banerjee, which led to strong criticism from the party.
Khalek also claimed that someone from Usha Rani's group fired shots at the panchayat chief and her supporters. He further alleged that since Usha Rani has been sidelined by the TMC leadership, she was trying to play a victim card.
On Thursday, another case of internal conflict within the TMC emerged when the car of Sandeshkhali MLA Sukumar Mahata was reportedly attacked by a group led by local party leader Abdul Kader Mollah. The attack took place as Mahata was returning from Nazat in. North 24 Parganas district after inaugurating a Kali Puja.
Allegedly, Abdul, a panchayat-level leader, is said to be a close associate of Sheikh Shahjahan, the TMC strongman who was arrested earlier this year on charges of sexual assault, illegal land grabbing, and masterminding an attack on ED officials.
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Another incident of TMC infighting was reported from South 24 Parganas district’s Gosaba. During an administrative meeting in the aftermath of cyclone Dana, some TMC workers complained to Sundarban Development Minister Bankim Chandra Hazra against local MLA Subrata Mondal, accusing him of extorting money from them.
Reportedly, after the meeting, several party workers, allegedly loyal to Mondal, attacked those who had raised the complaints. Police have arrested 11 individuals in connection with this incident.