Senior Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra launched a blistering attack on the rebel faction of the party after a 10-member delegation led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee met the full bench of the Election Commission of India in Delhi on Thursday.
The rebels approached Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar and the other commissioners to press their claim of commanding a two-thirds majority among MLAs and other elected representatives, seeking formal recognition as the legitimate TMC and control over the party’s name and election symbol.
In her sharp response, Moitra dismissed the very premise of the meeting, asserting that only those lacking genuine support would feel compelled to “go and stake claim” on the party. She stressed that ordinary people across India already know to whom the Trinamool Congress truly belongs - its founder, Mamata Banerjee.
Moitra did not spare the Election Commission. Referring to CEC Gyanesh Kumar as “Vanish Kumar,” she accused him of having “vanished” voters in Bengal earlier, then “vanished” democracy in the country after the elections, and of being associated with the alleged disappearance of Rs 3,500 crore in donations linked to the Ram Mandir Trust.
She sarcastically suggested that the rebel leaders had now turned to this “Vanish master” for help in making the TMC symbol disappear as well. “A stupid has gone to Vanish Kumar seeking his help,” she remarked, adding that anyone truly claiming to represent the “real TMC” clearly does not understand the party’s core values and ethos.
Moitra also took a dig at rebel MPs who have merged with or claimed affiliation to the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). She mockingly referred to it as the “Nationalist Chor Party of India,” questioning whether the acronym stood for “Chor” (thief) or “Citizens,” and noted the irony of MPs distancing themselves from TMC while still trying to claim its legacy. She observed that these MPs were elected on the TMC symbol and under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, yet are now asserting a separate identity.
“Another funny thing, some of the traitor MPs are saying that they belong to NCPI. They are not aware of the MLAs. Imagine such a party they are, that they don’t have MPs. The MPs are saying they are party of Nationalist Chor Party of India, I believe thats the name. Isn’t it? Correct me if I am wrong. Is it Chor or Citizens party? They will otherwise file a defamation now. The MPs are not saying they are with NCPI and not TMC. These people are claiming that they are real TMC. Fair enough, go prove it”, she urged
The highlight of Moitra’s statement was her robust defence of Mamata Banerjee. She said the Chief Minister does not need to shout or prove that “TMC means Mamata Banerjee” because the entire country and the world already know the party’s history.
Recounting Banerjee’s political journey, Moitra noted that she walked out of the Congress when it was at its peak, founded her own party from scratch, personally drew its symbol, led the battle against 34 years of Left Front rule in West Bengal, became an MP, helped send other MPs to Parliament, and went on to serve three terms as Chief Minister.
“Mamata Banerjee doesn’t have to prove it. A woman who walked out of Congress when Congress was at its peak, then formed a party on her own, drew the symbol herself - then fought against the 34 years of Left regime; the woman who became MP and then sent MPs to the parliament and eventually became a three term chief minister - a woman doesn’t need to prove anything. If need be she can paint another symbol and rebounce”, she said to the reporters after meeting her party supremo at her Kalighat residence.
The remarks come amid a deepening internal crisis in the Trinamool Congress following its poor showing in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections. The rebel camp, which includes several MLAs and some MPs, has formed parallel structures and is now seeking institutional validation from the Election Commission. Loyalists, however, maintain that the party’s identity remains inseparable from its founder.
While the rebel delegation presented its case before the full ECI bench today, the Mamata Banerjee faction has so far indicated it sees no urgency to approach the Commission, confident that history and public perception are on its side. The Election Commission is expected to examine the submissions from both sides before taking any decision on the symbol and name dispute.
