Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday declared that the party’s current crisis would not break her. Drawing direct parallels with the party’s humble beginnings, she issued a stern challenge to defectors and critics who have declared her political career over following the party’s poor showing in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections and a subsequent wave of high-profile exits.
Speaking hours after veteran leader and former minister Madan Mitra resigned from all party posts and joined the rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, Mamata Banerjee struck a resolute tone. “In 1998 we started TMC. That year we didn’t have much time before elections. The new symbol hardly had been acquainted with. Yet we got the blessings of people,” she recalled.
The journey she described was one of grit through adversity. After winning nine Lok Sabha seats in the immediate years following its formation, the party suffered sharp reverses. “In 2004 I was left with just one MP, in 2006 state assembly election we were left with just 30 MLAs. But know this even when I was just one in 2004, we didn’t retract from the fight,” she said.
That history, Banerjee argued, remains deeply relevant today. “If I can start in 1997 and fight it out, I keep the same grit in me in 2026 too. I didn’t surrender then, I won’t surrender now. If I can do it in 1997 then can do it again in 2026”. After the 2026 Assembly polls, where TMC’s strength dropped dramatically from its 2021 peak of 215 seats to around 80, internal discontent boiled over. A rebel faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has mounted a serious challenge, claiming majority support among MLAs, seizing control of party headquarters, and approaching the Election Commission over the party name, symbol, and assets. Several senior leaders have crossed over, accusing the current dispensation of favouritism, particularly towards Banerjee’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee.
Today’s exit of Madan Mitra - a loyalist who had recently been appointed general secretary - delivered a fresh blow. Mitra, who had spoken with Banerjee just a day earlier about ED summons to his family members in a municipal recruitment scam case, cited inability to work effectively and blamed the party’s direction. He joined the rebel camp, saying he had “only changed my room, not my house.”
Banerjee acknowledged the departure without bitterness but drew a clear line. “One of our MLAs have left us today (Madan Mitra). Yesterday he had called and said all his family members have been summoned by ED. I realised that he may leave. I don’t mind. Those who want to leave can leave, those who stay back are my strength.”
She reserved her sharpest words for those who have abandoned the party after enjoying its patronage. “They who have package, luggage and baggage - have gone to swing in the arms of BJP. Let them do,” she said, dismissing their criticism of Abhishek Banerjee as a “convenient alibi.”
Banerjee emphasised that the party’s real strength lies not in leaders but in its grassroots. “We still have 10 Rajya Sabha MPs and 8 Lok Sabha MPs. Some MLAs are there too. But most importantly there are people and ordinary supporters who are our biggest assets.” She pointed out that many who left today were never denied opportunities yet chose to depart, while thousands of workers without positions remain loyal.
In a direct apology to voters, she said: “I do apologise to the people. The leaders who fought on our symbol and you had voted for — that have betrayed us all. I can only apologise on their behalf.”
Addressing speculation about her age and health - including reports of detractors wishing her ill after the May 4 results - Banerjee was dismissive. “Many people are worried about my age. Don’t worry about my age. I have strength enough to fight and remove them yet again.” She added dramatically: “Even if I lose everything, I will hang the new symbol around my neck and walk around. Let me see if people accept us.”
Political observers see the speech as a clear message that Banerjee intends to treat this as another 1998 moment - rebuilding from a low point through direct connection with the masses rather than relying on established power structures. By invoking the party’s origin story, she is attempting to re-legitimise her leadership and frame defectors as temporary setbacks in a longer struggle. Whether this renewed call to arms can stem the exodus and convince the Election Commission remains to be seen. For now, Mamata Banerjee has drawn her battle lines: principles over power, grit over surrender, and 2026 as a year of resurrection rather than retirement.
