TMC crisis deepens: 6 MLAs and an MP turn up at Suvendu Adhikari's meet

KALYANI/KOLKATA: Six Trinamool Congress MLAs and four-time MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar attended Tuesday an administrative meeting of Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari in an apparent act of defiance as the party's post-poll haemorrhage showed no signs of stopping. The development coincided with TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy striking a discordant note on the May 4 change of guard in the state when BJP swept to office: "Before the Ides of May, the people of West Bengal put an end to an unbearable, anarchical situation," Roy posted on X.

The turmoil continued later as two TMC MLAs - Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha - held a closed-door "courtesy" meeting in the chamber of Rathindra Bose, the assembly Speaker from BJP. The open defiance and public criticism come in the wake of a series of resignations across Bengal - 127 TMC councillors from 11 civic bodies have quit so far and party boards in six municipalities dissolved.



However, what drew the most attention Tuesday was Ghosh Dastidar's presence at the CM's meeting in Nadia's Kalyani, near Kolkata. "The administration is for everyone, it is not a party programme," said Ghosh Dastidar, who was recently removed as the party chief whip in Lok Sabha. She also blamed the leadership's reliance on poll consultant I-PAC for TMC's drubbing.

Adhikari acknowledged Ghosh Dastidar's gesture. "When we were in opposition, we were never invited to administrative meetings. We decided that lawmakers should be invited, and the Barasat MP responded positively," Adhikari said. The TMC MLAs at the meeting included Anisur Rahman, Burhan-ul-Mukddin, Bina Mondal, Surajit Mitra, Usharani Mondal and Abdul Matin. All maintained they were merely attending an administrative event. The meeting covered 57 assembly segments, 50 of which were won by BJP.

Sensing the shift, TMC chief and ex-CM Mamata Banerjee has met seniors several times recently. On Tuesday, one Kolkata Municipal Corporation member, TMC's Tarak Singh, refused to attend a meeting called by her.