Didi ready for battle. Few hours after All-India General Secretary of Trinamool Congress (TMC) Abhishek Banerjee indicated he wanted to step down from organisational responsibilities, West Bengal Chief Minister and party supremo Mamata Banerjee called for an emergency meeting at her Kalighat residence where all senior leaders including Abhishek Banerjee, Partha Chatterjee and Subrata Bakshi have been asked to be present. There are strong indications in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) that in view of the ongoing differences between senior leaders of the party including Mamata Banerjee and I-PAC, its General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee is likely to leave the organisational responsibilities, and continue to work only as the MP of Diamond Harbour.
Insiders in the party are of the opinion that the sudden meeting convened by the Chief Minister is not only a message of truce being sent to the second-in-command of the party but also a desperate attempt to solve the differences within the party.
The senior-junior rift in the party has reached an extent where Abhishek Banerjee has expressed his wish to step down from his party responsibility.
According to sources in the party several issues including the ‘One Man One Post’ theory recently introduced by Abhishek Banerjee and the confusion regarding the list of candidates of the party in the upcoming Municipal election will come up for discussion.
“Abhishek Banerjee is the younger generation and he wants to manage the party in a more professional and democratic manner. This is definitely not liked by seniors of the party who have been enjoying undue privileges,” a young leader close to Abhishek Banerjee said on condition of anonymity.
The differences in the party started cropping up during the Kolkata Municipal Corporation when chief minister Mamata Banerjee changed several names without following the ‘One Man One Post’ theory.
Firhad Hakim being the Minister of Transport was made the Mayor flouting the norms. Though Abhishek Banerjee has strongly backed the idea, senior members like Firhad Hakim openly said that the Trinamool Congress supremo does not support the idea.
The controversy became even more complicated when a poster supporting ‘One Man One Post’ was seen on the cover of the Twitter handle of Minister of State for Urban Development and Municipal Affairs Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Bhattacharya who is considered to be close to Mamata Banerjee said that her Twitter handle is controlled by I-Pac which the organisation immediately denied.
The differences became even more prominent during the publication of the list of candidates by the party where two lists surfaced – one signed by party Secretary General Partha Chatterjee and State Secretary Subrata Bakshi and another list prepared by I-Pac had the support and patronage of Abhishek.
Though Mamata Banerjee said that the list prepared by Chatterjee and Bakshi was the official list but in many municipalities, Abhishek overruled the chief minister’s decision and gave nominations to the candidates approved by Prashant Kishore and I-Pac.
The situation went to that extent when both Chatterjee and Bakshi told the chief minister that it would be better for them to get distanced from active politics than taking instructions from Camac Street (Office of Abhishek Banerjee). Chief minister Mamata Banerjee was also very unhappy with the situation and gave indications to terminate ties with I-Pac.
In a situation like this, the meeting is likely to be very important and will decide the future course of action. All eyes will be on the meeting at Kalighat on Saturday.
Abhishek Banerjee, All-India General Secretary of the TMC, who is currently campaigning in Goa has said in his close circles that he is going to tweet his announcement on the evening of February 14 or on the next morning — after the completion of the assembly election in Goa.
Though it is not certain what would be the announcement but the decision comes at a time when the TMC’s relation with election strategist Prashant Kishor and his team in I-PAC has touched rock bottom, and a section of party insiders are of the opinion that the chief minister’s nephew is trying to put pressure on the Trinamool Congress supremo so that she reconsiders her decision.
A leader close to Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said: “There is no question of counter-pressure politics. It is very natural of Abhishek to think that if he can’t do what he wants to do then there is no point sticking to a post and holding a position rather it would be much better if he leaves the responsibility. In that case he can work with a free mind for the people of Diamond Harbour”.
Though there have been requests from several quarters to reconsider the decision, the Diamond Harbour MP has not shown any signs of retracting.
According to leaders close to Abhishek, the youth leader wants to distance himself from this power politics. “Everyone knows what I have done for the party during the assembly polls and what pressure I have taken. I don’t want to muddle into dirty things like this,” Abhishek said in his close quarters.
Mamata had expressed her reservations on certain comments made by Abhishek recently, and on the other hand, Abhishek Banerjee felt that the party chairperson was giving more preference to ‘outsiders’ than her own people.
The difference is a result of a communication gap which a section of the party leaders believe that the problem can only be sorted out if chief minister Mamata Banerjee and All-India General Secretary sit face-to-face for discussion. (IANS)