Abhishek Banerjee plays down factionalism in TMC, says it's normal in large parties

The deaths of two Trinamool Congress (TMC) members within two weeks in Malda district have brought into the spotlight the presence of internal conflicts in the party. Acknowledging the issue on Wednesday, national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee admitted to factionalism within the TMC and conceded that such infighting occasionally escalates into violence.

Speaking on Wednesday at one of the ‘Sebaashray’ health camps organised by him at Falta in Diamond Harbour parliamentary constituency, which he represents, the 37-year-old MP from West Bengal's ruling party stated, “Factionalism is very normal in large parties like ours.”

During a press interaction, he was questioned about the murder of TMC leader Dulal Sarkar in Malda district, where the main accused, Narendranath Tiwari, was also a TMC leader. In response, Banerjee remarked that, unlike during the Left Front era or in BJP-ruled states, a member of the ruling party was arrested.

“The name of the chief minister here is Mamata Banerjee,” he said. “A Trinamool member has been arrested in connection with the (murder of) Dulal Sarkar in Maldah. Was any CPI(M) leader ever arrested during their 34-year tenure? Are BJP leaders ever arrested in states like Uttar Pradesh or Gujarat?”

However, the nephew of CM Banerjee also warned those engaged in infighting within the TMC, stating that disciplinary action would be taken against anyone harming the party, and police action would follow if a crime was committed.

“Those who behave as if they are the supreme leader and that they run the party are at risk. They don’t have any place in TMC. This is the mistake the CPI(M) and the BJP are committing at some districts,” he said.

His remarks are significant as the TMC has been struggling to control factionalism within its ranks. In addition to Sarkar's murder, on Tuesday, Bakul Sheikh, a local Trinamool leader was allegedly shot by workers loyal to another party leader Zakir Sheikh in Malda's Kaliachak.

Trinamool's internal conflicts have also been evident in other districts, including Birbhum, Murshidabad, and Purba Medinipur in recent days.

On Tuesday, Akhil Giri, the TMC MLA from Purba Medinipur’s Ramnagar, was involved in a heated argument with his own party workers, who are reportedly associated with Uttam Barik, a fellow TMC MLA from Patashpur and a rival of Giri. The incident happened during the nomination filing process for the election of directors in Purba Medinipur’s Contai Co-operative Bank.

Local TMC leader Rinku Chowdhury, known to be loyal to former Birbhum district chief Anubrata Mondal, was reportedly beaten by party workers close to Kajal Sheikh, the chairman of the district’s Zilla Parishad on Monday.