Mamata Banerjee orders TMC leaders not to discuss differences and Cracks Whip publicly
Mamata Banerjee issues a strict directive to TMC leaders, banning public discussions on internal differences, with possible disciplinary action for disobedience.
West Bengal: TMC chief Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday directed party leaders to avoid discussing differences in public amid an ongoing infighting between party elders and new generation leaders. She stressed that any disobedience could lead to disciplinary action.The directive was issued at an organizational meeting of the West Midnapore district unit.
CM Mamta Banerjee also emphasized that public disputes of leaders will not be allowed and asked party members to take their complaints directly to the leadership. During the meeting, a top TMC official, who wished to remain anonymous, said: “It was the explicit directive of our party chief that no one should express their views in public. The party will not hesitate to take disciplinary action against anyone who violates these guidelines.”
Rising tension in TMC
During the meeting, TMC’s national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and state president Subrata Bakshi were present when Mamata Banerjee assigned them the responsibility of forming a new panel of state spokespersons. Party insiders revealed that the decision to appoint new spokespersons stemmed from the actions of Kunal Ghosh, the state secretary and spokesperson, who is known to have close links with Abhishek Banerjee. Ghosh has openly criticized senior party members.
Mamata Banerjee’s involvement comes amid an internal conflict within the party, with veteran members joining her at odds with the emerging new generation leaders, who are believed to be close to Abhishek Banerjee.
A generation gap is emerging regarding retirement age
The recent controversy began in November when the Prime Minister advocated showing respect for senior members and rejected the idea that senior leaders should retire from active politics. Abhishek Banerjee, who supported the idea of a retirement age in politics, pointed to a decline in work efficiency and productivity as individuals grow older. On Sunday, he dismissed reports of internal conflict with Mamata Banerjee, stressing unity between the party’s established leaders and the emerging leaders of the new generation.
Party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, who is close to Abhishek, said last month that there is no conflict between the old and the new, but older leaders must recognize when to make way for the next generation. The party appears divided on the issue as senior leaders are reluctant to embrace Abhishek’s proposed concept of a maximum age limit, while younger members seek a bigger role within the party.
The ongoing controversy is reminiscent of a two-year-old internal conflict within the TMC, which pitted the established leadership against the younger faction. In January 2022, amid rumors of an alleged power struggle, Mamata Banerjee dissolved all national office-bearer committees, including the role of national general secretary to her cousin, Abhishek Banerjee.
Following this, a new committee was formed and Abhishek was reinstated as the party’s national general secretary. Since then, Abhishek has not only risen in prominence within the party but is also widely regarded as the de facto second-in-command in the state’s ruling government.
(Using input from PTI)