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    EYE ON INDIA                                                             JUNE 12, 2026     |  The Indian Eye                    6

                                                         TMC IN TURMOIL

              Rebellion, Corruption Cases and the

              Battle for Bengal’s Opposition Space

                 The Trinamool Congress faces its gravest crisis as mass defections, corruption allegations and a
                                          leadership revolt threaten to reshape West Bengal politics.

            OUR BUREAU                                                                                            has rejected the rebels’ claims. Senior
                                                                                                                  leader  Kunal  Ghosh  has  questioned
            Kolkatas / New Delhi
                                                                                                                  the authenticity of signatures sub-
                  he   Trinamool    Congress                                                                      mitted  by  the  dissident  faction  and
                  (TMC), which dominated West                                                                     argued that the matter requires legal
            TBengal politics for nearly a de-                                                                     examination.
            cade and a half under the leadership                                                                      As both sides battle for legitima-
            of Mamata Banerjee, is confronting                                                                    cy, the dispute could ultimately move
            what may be the biggest crisis in its                                                                 beyond  the  political  arena  and  into
            history. Within days of losing power                                                                  the courts.
            in the state, the party has been rocked                                                                   Compounding  the  party’s  trou-
            by a dramatic internal rebellion, pub-                                                                bles is a series of corruption-related
            lic allegations against its leadership,                                                               arrests involving TMC leaders. Inves-
            and a series of corruption-related ar-                                                                tigative agencies have launched action
            rests involving its leaders.                                                                          in multiple cases across West Bengal.
                The developments have exposed                                                                         The crisis has also triggered fierce
            deep  fissures  within  the  party  and                                                               political reactions. TMC MP Mahua
            raised serious questions about its fu-                                                                Moitra accused the rebel legislators of
            ture as a cohesive political force.                                                                   betraying the mandate of voters who
                                                                                                                  elected them under Mamata Baner-
                                                The dissident faction has repeatedly stated that Mamata Banerjee remains their leader and
            The most immediate challenge           has even proposed that she serve as a chief advisor to guide the opposition (ANI)   jee’s leadership.
                                                                                                                      She  argued  that  the  legislators
            comes from an unprecedented                                                                           won on explicitly anti-BJP votes and
            revolt within the TMC legislature   tion  has  repeatedly  stated  that  the   democracy within the party has weak-  challenged them to resign and seek a
                                              former chief minister remains their   ened and that criticism of the leader-  fresh mandate.
            party. In a stunning setback for  leader  and  has  even  proposed  that   ship is no longer tolerated. Saha sug-  “The  TMC  secured  41  per  cent
            the party leadership, 58 of the   she serve as a chief advisor to guide   gested  that  even  veteran  legislators   of the vote under Mamata Banerjee’s
                                                                                                                  name and the TMC symbol,” Moitra
                                                                                who had been active in politics long
                                              the opposition.
            party’s 80 MLAs reportedly ap-        Instead,  the  rebellion  appears   before  Abhishek  Banerjee  entered   said, insisting that the rebels could not
            proached Assembly Speaker         to  be  directed  primarily  against  the   public life were compelled to publicly   separate themselves from the political
                                              growing influence of Mamata Baner-  endorse him.                    platform on which they were elected.
            Rathindranath Bose, claiming  jee’s nephew and Diamond Harbour          These accusations have trans-     At  the  same  time,  Moitra  por-
            control of the TMC Legislature    MP, Abhishek Banerjee.            formed  the  crisis  from  a  routine   trayed the rebellion as an opportunity
                                                  Expelled  TMC  leader  Sandipan
                                                                                                                  for what she called a “purification” of
                                                                                factional  dispute  into  a  debate  over
            Party and electing recently ex-   Saha  has  provided  insight  into  the   leadership  style,  accountability  and   the  party,  suggesting  that  dissenters
            pelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee     grievances  that  triggered  the  revolt.   decision-making within the party.  were free to leave.
                                              According  to  him,  the  turning  point
                                                                                                                      Meanwhile,  the  BJP  has  seized
                                                                                    The  rebellion  has  also  sparked
            as the Leader of the Opposition.  came  after  the  party’s  electoral  de-  a  bitter  dispute  over  procedural  le-  upon the turmoil. Senior BJP leader
                                              feat  when  legislators  were  allegedly   gitimacy. Rebel leaders have alleged   Tapas Roy described the collapse as
                If  sustained,  the  move  would   instructed  not  to  criticize  Abhishek   irregularities  in  the  selection  of  the   “inevitable” and argued that the TMC
            represent not merely a rebellion but   Banerjee  and  were  instead  asked  to   official Leader of the Opposition and   was now experiencing the same polit-
            a  fundamental  shift  in  the  balance   applaud him for his performance.  claimed that some MLAs’ names ap-  ical  fragmentation  that  it  had  previ-
            of power within the party. The rebel   “No one was permitted to utter   peared  on  documents  despite  their   ously encouraged in rival parties.
            legislators have effectively challenged   a  single  word  of  criticism  regarding   absence from meetings.  The  broader  significance  of  the
            the authority of the official leadership   Abhishek. Instead, we were instructed   According to Saha, concerns over   crisis  extends  beyond  internal  party
            while asserting that they represent the   that he had performed exceptionally   these alleged irregularities prompted   politics. The TMC’s ability to function
            majority of elected TMC lawmakers.  well  and  that  everyone  must  rise  to   legislators to seek intervention from   as a strong opposition force in West
                What makes the rebellion partic-  accord him a standing ovation,” Saha   the  Assembly  Speaker,  eventually   Bengal will depend on whether it can
            ularly significant is that it is not being   alleged.               leading to the formation of the break-  resolve the leadership dispute, restore
            framed  as  a  revolt  against  Mamata   The claim reflects a broader per-  away group.               organisational  discipline  and  rebuild
            Banerjee  herself.  The  dissident  fac-  ception among dissidents that internal   The  TMC  leadership,  however,   public confidence.

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