New Delhi: Following a high-level meeting at party chairperson Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat residence, senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh launched a blistering attack on the rebel faction of the party, characterizing their moves to join the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) as an outright betrayal of the public mandate. Speaking to reporters late Sunday evening, Ghosh emphasized that the defectors are undermining the core ideological reasons for which they were elected by the common people of West Bengal.
The political remarks come amid an intense organizational crisis within the TMC, following the recent West Bengal assembly election losses. A massive breakaway group consisting of twenty Lok Sabha MPs recently met with the Speaker in New Delhi to initiate a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, aiming to align themselves with the NDA. The move has triggered a major war of words, with the ruling establishment in Kolkata labeling the disgruntled lawmakers as opportunists who are disrespecting the voters.
Stepping out of the critical strategy session at the TMC supremo’s residence, Kunal Ghosh stated that those MPs were not elected as independent candidates. He underlined that they campaigned and won strictly on a Trinamool Congress ticket, backed by voters who are strictly anti-BJP. Ghosh noted that shifting to the NDA block at this stage is not merely a clear betrayal of Mamata Banerjee and the party organization, but a direct betrayal of each and every voter who cast their ballot in their favor.
The sudden political infighting has escalated public anxiety over legislative stability in the state, prompting the TMC leadership to consider aggressive counter-measures. Parallelly, the organizational rift is playing out amidst an active investigation by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) concerning a signature forgery case linked to several party resolutions, a probe in which both Abhishek Banerjee and Kunal Ghosh were questioned over the weekend. Ghosh maintained that he has consistently cooperated with the investigative agencies to the best of his abilities.
As both factions prepare for a lengthy legal and structural battle before the upcoming parliamentary session resumes, the official TMC leadership continues to project defiance. Senior leaders note that the political survival of the breakaway leaders will ultimately be determined by the public. Observers indicate that while the defection weakens the party’s instant numbers in New Delhi, the focus has now shifted toward reinforcing grassroot control and exposing those who compromised their mandates for central patronage.