They were instructed to refrain from making public statements against each other. If repeated, the party warned, strict disciplinary action would followThe Top leaders of the Trinamool Congress, including party state president Subrata Bakshi, met Anubrata Mondal and his party rival Kajal Sheikh on Saturday ahead of the July 21 Martyrs’ Day preparation meeting.The meeting, which took place at the party’s Bhabanipur office, was also attended by Kolkata Mayor and state minister Firhad Hakim and state Sports Minister Aroop Biswas.According to party sources, both Mondal and Sheikh were told that no “infighting” would be tolerated ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.They were instructed to refrain from making public statements against each other. If repeated, the party warned, strict disciplinary action would follow.Mondal, in particular, was advised to maintain composure and avoid provocative behavior, the sources said.The closed-door meeting came weeks after a purported audio clip surfaced in which Mondal was allegedly heard using abusive language during a phone call with a police inspector. The Birbhum district police have since registered an FIR against Mondal.After the meeting, neither Mondal nor Sheikh made any public comments.Story continues below this adSenior leaders such as Bakshi and Hakim also chose not to brief the media.However, a senior TMC leader claimed, “Whenever Anubrata and Kajal speak publicly, controversy follows. The party likely told them to stay silent at least until the Assembly elections to avoid further issues.”Meanwhile, in the larger July 21 planning session, TMC’s state leadership instructed all district presidents and chairpersons to immediately begin mass outreach campaigns across blocks, panchayats, and municipalities.Bakshi reportedly urged local leaders to ensure a record-breaking turnout and also asked them to highlight what he described as the BJP-led central government’s “discriminatory policies” against Bengal and push back against the party’s “communal agenda” through grassroots campaigns.Atri Mitra is a Special Correspondent of The Indian Express with more than 20 years of experience in reporting from West Bengal, Bihar and the North-East. He has been covering administration and political news for more than ten years and has a keen interest in political development in West Bengal. Atri holds a Master degree in Economics from Rabindrabharati University and Bachelor's degree from Calcutta University. He is also an alumnus of St. Xavier's, Kolkata and Ramakrishna Mission Asrama, Narendrapur. He started his career with leading vernacular daily the Anandabazar Patrika, and worked there for more than fifteen years. He worked as Bihar correspondent for more than three years for Anandabazar Patrika. He covered the 2009 Lok Sabha election and 2010 assembly elections. He also worked with News18-Bangla and covered the Bihar Lok Sabha election in 2019. ... Read MoreStay updated with the latest - Click here to follow us on Instagram© The Indian Express Pvt LtdTags:TMCWest Bengal Assembly elections