New Delhi, June 1 (IANS) The Trinamool Congress leadership’s decision to expel two MLAs on Monday is being viewed by many as an attempt to contain the fallout from an alleged fraud, or a serious faux pas, which could prove to be the proverbial last straw for a party facing an existential crisis following its resounding defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
The alleged fraudulent signing of MLAs’ names is more than just another controversy; it has emerged as a symbol of the party’s organisational decline over the years.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee, once regarded as the face of grassroots struggle, has been seen by critics as steadily losing control — both of the administration during her tenure as Chief Minister and of the organisation as its chairperson.
Monday’s controversy, therefore, has come to symbolise what critics describe as the erosion of internal democracy and the emergence of a culture where shortcuts and wrongdoing thrive, loyalty is manufactured rather than earned, and the leadership remains insulated from criticism until dissent erupts openly.
At the centre of the controversy is her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee, whose signature as party General Secretary endorsing the document has brought the spotlight on him. The state CID has already sought his presence for questioning in connection with the matter.
The scandal is also seen as weakening the Trinamool Congress chief’s position in national politics.
Since the election defeat, Mamata Banerjee has been attempting to revive the anti-Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) grouping under the INDIA platform. However, the party’s internal turmoil is likely to undermine her credibility, and calls for Opposition unity may appear less persuasive when her own organisation is facing internal discord.
The Trinamool Congress’ defeat, and more particularly Mamata Banerjee’s loss in Bhabanipur to her former aide Suvendu Adhikari, now the Chief Minister, was more than a personal setback and has been projected by her detractors as evidence of a deeper political crisis.
However, the fallout from the signature controversy has landed squarely on the party’s top leadership, which responded by expelling MLAs Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee after they raised objections regarding the matter.
Their actions, however, were not entirely unexpected.
Reports suggested that at least three elected MLAs openly confronted the leadership at a post-election review meeting, blaming the “brutal imposition” of Abhishek Banerjee’s choices for the electoral debacle.
Among the critics reportedly were the two expelled MLAs. The third, said to be Kunal Ghosh, has posted his reservations on Facebook, without going into details, while also declaring his commitment to remain with the party despite the current difficulties.
Incidentally, even before the Assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee had been facing challenges both in running the government and in managing the party organisation.
As the administrative head, she faced allegations linked to several scams and criticism over the state’s law-and-order situation. As party supremo, she was also dealing with internal rifts and recurring disciplinary issues.
In the early years, when she was leading the charge against the Left Front, her lieutenants, including Mukul Roy and Suvendu Adhikari, played key roles in building the party’s organisational machinery.
It was largely Roy’s organisational acumen across the state that helped create a formidable political structure, while Adhikari successfully managed regional networks. His leadership of the Nandigram movement on the ground proved instrumental in the eventual fall of the Left Front government.
Over time, Mamata Banerjee became increasingly absorbed in the responsibilities of governance, dealing with administrative challenges, welfare programmes and statecraft, while her organisational grip weakened, something she has acknowledged on several occasions.
Into that space stepped Abhishek Banerjee. Young and ambitious, he sought to modernise the party by bringing in professional political consultants. They introduced data analytics, social media strategies and corporate-style campaign management.
However, critics argue that they lacked the instinctive understanding of Bengal’s complex political terrain and grassroots realities that had long defined the Trinamool Congress’ political approach.
Many leaders began feeling marginalised. Roy later joined the BJP, as did several others, including Adhikari. Some others became embroiled in corruption cases and controversies.
Mamata Banerjee was increasingly left without several of the seasoned strategists who had once helped translate her mass appeal into electoral success.
Political observers believe she gradually realised the shrinking circle of trusted aides and the growing difficulty of balancing governance with party management.
Infighting, leaked chats and public spats exposed a party increasingly at war with itself.
The so-called “aunt-nephew duopoly” became a source of resentment among sections of the party. Mamata Banerjee’s once iron grip appeared to weaken, and her attempts to curb corruption — including publicly rebuking leaders over the issue of “cut money” — failed to rein in malpractice.
The alleged fraudulent signing of MLAs’ names is being viewed by critics as the culmination of years of organisational decay, corruption and detachment, with the party machinery appearing increasingly vulnerable to manipulation.
–IANS
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