TMC Rebels Remove Mamata Banerjee as Party Chief

The internal crisis within the All India Trinamool Congress has deepened, with a faction of rebel MLAs announcing on Monday that they have removed Mamata Banerjee from the post of party president. The rebel group also declared senior MLA Arup Roy as the new chairperson of what they claim is the “real” Trinamool Congress.The party was founded by Mamata Banerjee in 1998. However, amid the ongoing rebellion by a section of legislators, the dissident faction led by Opposition Leader Ritabrata Banerjee asserted that it represents the legitimate Trinamool Congress.

The rebels also announced the suspension of Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and Member of Parliament, Abhishek Banerjee, from the post of the party’s National General Secretary. In addition, they unveiled a parallel party executive committee.The decisions were taken during a meeting of rebel MLAs held at a five-star hotel in New Town. Speaking after the meeting, Ritabrata Banerjee said it had been convened to address what he described as a “constitutional crisis” within the party.

According to him, the party constitution mandates the formation of a National Working Committee every three years. He noted that the last committee was constituted in February 2022 and that its term has since expired without a new committee being formed. This failure, he argued, has created a constitutional crisis within the organization, prompting the rebel faction to take corrective action.