The internal discord within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has spilled into the open following its crushing defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, with its several leaders openly questioning the role of party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee during a closed-door meeting chaired by party chief Mamata Banerjee.The immediate trigger for this confrontation was the “sudden” withdrawal of TMC candidate Jahangir Khan from the Falta Assembly constituency two days before its scheduled May 21 repolling. The development has led to sharp criticism of Abhishek within the party ranks and intensified scrutiny of his leadership. Abhishek represents the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency under which Falta falls.AdvertisementAccording to TMC sources, several newly elected MLAs, including Kunal Ghosh, Ritabrata Bandyopadhyay and Sandipan Saha, questioned why no disciplinary action had been initiated against Khan despite what they described was a “serious embarrassment” for the party. They also sought answers on how a candidate considered politically influential and closely associated with the party leadership could abruptly withdraw from the contest at such a crucial juncture.While none of the MLAs directly named Abhishek during the discussion, party insiders said their remarks were widely interpreted as criticism of his organisational control and political management in his own stronghold.Speaking to reporters later, Ghosh took a swipe at Khan, referring to him sarcastically as “Pushpa”, a reference to the popular film character known for his punchline “jhukega nahi”. “He (Khan) said ‘Pushpa jhukega nahi’, then why did he bow down? Falta falls under Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency where Abhishek is our MP. He won there by more than seven lakh votes. This is not good for the party. I think Abhishek will look into it,” Ghosh said.AdvertisementBandyopadhyay also criticised the Falta development, saying the episode reflected poorly on the TMC. “What happened in Falta is not a good advertisement for the party. Khan was not a last-bencher in our party. He was always privileged. From a distance, he looked like a Central minister. I do not know who supported him in the party, but we always heard that he had the last word in Diamond Harbour,” he said.Sources present at the closed-door meeting, held at Mamata’s residence in Kolkata’s Kalighat Tuesday, said Bandyopadhyay and Saha demanded Khan’s expulsion from the party.Attempting to pacify her party’s angry legislators, Mamata reportedly said Khan should have consulted the party leadership, particularly Abhishek, before taking such a major decision. “A leader of his stature should not have stepped aside without informing the leadership. It does not look good for the organisation,” a senior TMC leader quoted Mamata as saying.In his response, Abhishek, Mamata’s nephew, told the MLAs that the organisation had already distanced itself from Khan’s decision and issued an official statement on social media condemning his withdrawal from the fray.However, criticism from party leaders reportedly continued even after his clarification.The Falta row came to the fore at a time when sections within the TMC have started questioning Abhishek’s political strategy and organisational decisions in the state elections following the party’s debacle.Also Read | TMC MLAs protest Bengal post-poll violence, sparse turnout draws attentionRising TMC woesAdding to the discomfort of the TMC leadership, the Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) recently served notices to 17 addresses allegedly linked to Abhishek and his family members. The notices were reportedly sent to properties associated with him, his parents and his Leaps and Bounds company.The addresses include one on Harish Mukherjee Road, two on Kalighat Road, three on Premendra Mitra Sarani, two on Panditiya Road and another on Ustad Amir Khan Sarani.What has attracted attention within political circles is the muted response from senior TMC leaders over the issue.Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, a senior TMC leader, distanced himself from the controversy, saying the matter did not fall under his jurisdiction. “This does not fall under my jurisdiction. The person who received the notice can explain the matter better. I cannot comment on a personal issue. I am here only to explain the laws of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation,” Hakim said.Similarly, local borough chairperson Debalina Biswas said she had no role in the matter. “We were not involved in taking such decisions. There is a separate department which handles these issues as per rules,” she said.When asked whether escalators or lifts had been installed at Abhishek’s Harish Mukherjee Road residence, Biswas said, “I have never gone to that house. I was not such a big leader in the party. Sometimes I visited Mamata’s residence on Harish Chatterjee Street and can speak about that house.”Alienation of old guardSome senior TMC leaders privately admit that the party’s centralised decision-making under Abhishek and his political strategists alienated several veteran party leaders over the past five years.you may like“After the 2021 Assembly election victory, Abhishek Banerjee and his I-PAC team became involved in almost every organisational decision. Following the party’s success in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his influence increased further,” a senior TMC leader said.“Abhishek dropped 74 sitting MLAs and gave tickets to new faces this time. He aggressively targeted the BJP and Union Home Minister Amit Shah in almost every public meeting. The leadership believed the party would sweep the elections again, but they failed to read public sentiment,” the leader added.The TMC leader also pointed to a series of controversies, including the R G Kar rape and murder case, alleging that the party mishandled several issues and sidelined senior leaders in the process. “Abhishek projected Diamond Harbour as the model constituency of the TMC. But the party lost Satgachhia and may now lose Falta too (where vote count is scheduled for Sunday). Then what is the Diamond Harbour model? The leadership must now take responsibility for the defeat. Abhishek should come forward and apologise to the people,” the leader added.