Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Wednesday alleged that senior party leader Madan Mitra's decision to join the rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee was prompted by the Enforcement Directorate's (ED) summons issued to his family, dismissing the political switch as anything but a coincidence.
"It's not a surprise. Yesterday, his wife, daughters-in-law and sons were summoned by the ED. So, he has gone on the summons of the ED... He has gone on the invitation of the ED," said Mahua Moitra.
Madan Mitra’s alignment with the Ritabrata faction of the Trinamool Congress comes a day after the Enforcement Directorate summoned several members of his family for questioning in connection with a money laundering investigation linked to the alleged municipal recruitment scam in West Bengal.
Mahua Moitra also highlighted what she described as a dramatic reversal in Madan Mitra's political position, noting that he had recently been a vocal critic of the rebel camp. "We should understand that the person who was standing day before yesterday and abusing the Ritabrata gang, today he is going there and sitting next to Ritabrata," she said.
Taking a swipe at the veteran leader, Moitra added, "This has been done on the special invitation of the ED, so we wish him luck. We wish him good luck and good health, may you have a lovely time working under the Ritabrata gang."
Earlier in the day, Madan Mitra formally joined the faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly. The former minister insisted that the move had no connection with the ED summons issued to his family. "My family has been summoned by a federal agency. My family will go and cooperate with the agency. But that is not linked to my joining the rebels today," Mitra said.
Explaining his decision, Madan Mitra claimed he had urged the party leadership to ask national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to step aside temporarily in the interest of rebuilding the organisation, but his proposal was rejected. "I told Abhishek, let us build the party, and then you can come back and take your seat, but he refused," he said.
He further alleged that the party leadership had prioritised protecting Abhishek Banerjee over addressing the wider crisis within the organisation. "The party is sinking; the boat has gone under... Yet, the party decided, or rather it was forced to accept, that everyone else could die, but Abhishek had to be saved. It is deeply saddening," Mitra said. He also announced that he had resigned from all organisational posts within the Trinamool Congress, although he continues to hold his Assembly seat. "I have left everything associated with Trinamool. That means I am no longer a Trinamool MLA in the functional sense," he said.
Madan Mitra has previously faced investigations by central agencies. He was arrested by the CBI in the Saradha chit fund case in 2014 and spent 629 days in custody before being granted bail. He was later arrested again in connection with the Narada sting case in 2021.
Responding separately to Madan Mitra's exit, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected suggestions that internal leadership issues had triggered the defection. Instead, she alleged that fear of the Enforcement Directorate had influenced the veteran leader's decision. “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,” said Mamata Banerjee.
Following the Assembly Election debacle of 2026, the Trinamool Congress has witnessed a series of defections, with several legislators and MPs either joining the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction or merging with another political outfit. The dispute over control of the party's name and election symbol is currently pending before the Election Commission.
