Kolkata: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with her nephew and MP Abhishek Banerjee
Highlights
- Mamata Banerjee met with senior TMC leaders today, alongwith nephew Abhishek.
- Abhishek Banerjee has introduced the 'One Person, One Post' slogan.
- Many senior leaders are opposing it because they hold more than one post in the party.
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee, alongwith her nephew Abhishek Banerjee met senior party leaders at her Kolkata residence. In the meeting, Mamata constituted a national working committee of the party consisting of 19 members including Abhishek Banerjee, Amit Mitra, Partha Chatterjee, Yashwant Sinha, and Firhad Hakim. Senior Trinamool leaders Derek O'Brien and Saugata Roy are not a part of the new committee.
The meeting comes in light of growing tensions inside the party, as Abhishek and his supporters have introduced the idea of 'One person, One post'. However, several senior leaders in the party hold more than one post. This has caused a rift in the party. There is also a murmur of two factions in the party and efforts will be made to resolve the issue.
The committee is seen as a bid to assert Banerjee's control over the party, and stem dissension between a section of TMC's old guards and the next generation leaders, reported news agency PTI.
"After Mamata Banerjee was re-elected as the chairperson of the party, she had announced a small committee to look after party affairs. Today there was a meeting of that committee, and in that meeting, she has announced the new national working committee of the party," TMC leader Partha Chatterjee told reporters.
A fresh row had sparked in the matter on Friday, after TMC leader and minister in Mamata Banerjee's government Chandrima Bhattacharya posted the slogan 'One Person, One Post' on her social media handle. However, she later claimed that the post was done by consultancy group I-PAC.
Meanwhile, I-PAC refuted the allegations by the minister and said it does not manage the digital handles of TMC and its leaders.
Traces of infighting in the party, are evident as TMC state general secretary Kunal Ghosh on Friday demanded the arrest of party colleague Mukul Roy in the Saradha and Narada case while calling him a "BJP leader".
Mamata Banerjee had notified of the meeting to be held today at her Kalighat office at 5 pm. According to sources, the issue of the candidate list for the upcoming municipal elections in the state is also among the key issues to be discussed.
