West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee retained his position as national general secretary of Trinamool Congress and three vice presidents have also been appointed.
This decision comes after Mamata Banerjee on February 12 dissolved the party’s national office bearers’ committee and formed a 20-member working committee packed with party veterans amid a growing rift between TMC’s old-timers and Gen Next.
Notably, the national general secretary post of TMC was also dissolved along with the previous working committee by Banerjee. The Bengal CM had appointed her nephew Abhishek as the national general secretary of the party after TMC registered a thumping victory over BJP in the West Bengal election of 2021.
Amid reports of infighting within Trinamool, Banerjee retained the old guard and also inducted young blood like Abhishek.
It may be noted that leaders close to Abhishek Banerjee have openly criticised some senior leaders of TMC on the issue of holding multiple posts within the party and state administration.
Abhishek Banerjee, the Diamond Harbor MP, has been advocating for “one person one post” within Trinamool Congress.
Giving details of the February 12 meeting, a TMC leader said party chief Mamata Banerjee categorically told the leaders that everyone has to work together and the differences should be discussed in the party forum and not in public.
During the third wave of COVID-19 in January 2022, while the TMC government was dilly-dallying imposing restrictions to contain the pandemic, Abhishek Banerjee advocated for stricter curbs and imposed the same in his Diamond Harbor constituency. Abhishek’s imposition of strict COVID restrictions did not go down well with some TMC leaders, triggering a war of words.
