The much-publicised rift between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and nephew Abhishek Banerjee appears to have taken a dramatic twist with the latter reportedly vowing to quit from all party posts after Goa assembly polls. This came immediately after Banerjee formed a new 20-member national working committee in a bid to clip her over-ambitious nephew’s wings.
Abhishek Banerjee, who is leading the Trinamool Congress’ electional campaign in Goa, had pushed for ‘one man, one post’ in the party. The call had left the ruling party of West Bengal divided given that several senior colleagues of Mamata Banerjee held more than one posts.
Banerjee met her senior colleagues in Kolkata to restructure her political party by forming a committee, which will function as a top decision-making body within the ruling establishment. Abhishek Banerjee, who too was present in the meeting, has found a place in the committee, but the development effectively means that his post of powerful ‘General Secretary’ has been done away with.
With the latest development, Abhishek Banerjee may also have squandered his future opportunity to succeed Mamata Banerjee.
Quoting a source close to Trinamool chief, The Telegraph website reported that Abhishek Banerjee had expressed his ‘desire to step down after Monday’s election in Goa and continue as nothing other than the Diamond Harbour MP.’
“Didi thinks it’s nothing but blackmailing strategy. Right now, she is in no mood to dissuade him (her nephew),” the source close to the Bengal CM said, according to the journalist.
According to The Telegraph, Banerjee reportedly said that ‘she doesn’t have any responsibility to nurture someone’s political career or ambitions.’
Analysts believe that Banerjee’s decision to take control of the situation amidst a growing rift between supporters of her nephew and her senior colleagues within the party because she feared her inaction could split the party that she created and converted into a formidable political outfit.
Prashant Kishor’s role in Trinamool’s internal rift
Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC, which managed the Trinamool Congress’ election campaign last year is being held responsible for causing a family feud for Mamata Banerjee. Abhishek Banerjee was the man believed to be instrumental in maintaining the Trinamool’s relationship with Prashant Kishor’s team.
The crisis took an ugly turn after Mamata Banerjee’s cabinet colleague, Purnima Bhattacharya, said that I-PAC had misused her social media account to share a post in favour of ‘one person, one post’ campaign.
“A Twitter account in my name was created by I-PAC before the election. Today it posted something about ‘one person one post’ without my knowledge. I strongly protest against it,” news agency PTI quoted Bhattacharya as saying.
Prashant Kishor’s team denied the allegation as it wrote on Twitter, ” I-PAC doesn’t handle any digital properties of @AITCofficial or any of its leaders. Anyone making such claim is either uninformed or is blatantly lying. AITC should look into if and how their digital properties and/or that of their leaders are being “allegedly (mis)used”.”
There were also reports that the Trinamool had decided to sever its ties with the I-PAC.