The internal conflict within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) intensified on Tuesday after Mamata Banerjee’s camp sought to replace senior leader Firhad Hakim as the party’s chief whip in the West Bengal Assembly and proposed Madan Mitra for the post.
The move came shortly after the party issued a show cause notice to Firhad Hakim, accusing him of engaging in anti-party activities. The notice followed Hakim’s decision to join a parallel organisational structure announced by the rebel faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.
According to The Telegraph , Mamata Banerjee’s camp sent an official email to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose on Monday night requesting that Firhad Hakim should no longer be recognised as the TMC’s chief whip. The communication also requested that Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra be recognised as the new chief whip.
On Tuesday morning, before the start of the Assembly session, senior TMC leader and party’s official nominee for the post of LoP Sovandeb Chattopadhyay went to the Speaker’s office and submitted a hard copy of the communication sent the previous night.
However, the Speaker’s office declined to take any immediate decision on the request. It stated that the matter is sub judice, meaning it is currently under judicial consideration, and therefore no action can be taken until the legal issues surrounding the party split are resolved.
Sources from Mamata Banerjee’s camp argued that while the dispute over the leadership of the legislature party is before the courts, there is no separate legal challenge concerning the post of chief whip. Despite this argument, the Speaker’s office maintained its position and did not accept the request. There was no official statement from the Speaker explaining the decision.
The latest development comes amid a deepening power struggle within the Trinamool Congress following the emergence of a rebel faction. Earlier in the day, several senior leaders, including Firhad Hakim, were expelled by the party after being accused of supporting the parallel leadership announced by the dissident group.
The battle over key organisational and legislative positions is expected to continue as legal proceedings regarding the party’s internal dispute remain pending.
