In a major political setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC), senior MLA Madan Mitra on Wednesday announced that he has left Mamata Banerjee’s camp and joined the party’s rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee.
The dramatic move came just a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned Mitra’s wife and two sons for questioning in connection with an alleged municipal recruitment scam.
‘I only changed my room in the Assembly’
Speaking at a joint press conference alongside Ritabrata Banerjee, Mitra downplayed the optics of his switch but made it clear he had severed ties with the Mamata-led faction.
“I have only changed my room in the Assembly.”
He also announced his resignation from all organisational posts in the Trinamool Congress.
“I have resigned from all the positions. Though I remain an MLA, I have left everything associated with Trinamool. That means I am no longer a Trinamool MLA in the functional sense.”
Madan Mitra targets Abhishek Banerjee
Mitra squarely blamed Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC national general secretary and Mamata Banerjee’s nephew, for the party’s internal crisis.
According to Mitra, he had urged Abhishek to temporarily step aside to help rebuild the party following its electoral setback.
“I told him, let us build the party, and then you can come back. But he refused.”
He further alleged that the party leadership prioritised protecting Abhishek over saving the organisation.
“The party is sinking; the boat has gone under. Everyone else could die, but Abhishek had to be saved.”
TMC split deepens
The latest defection adds to the growing political turmoil within the Trinamool Congress after its electoral defeat earlier this year.
The rival faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee now claims support from a majority of TMC legislators, while the battle over the party’s official identity remains pending before the Election Commission of India.
Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee have alleged that the rebellion has been fuelled by political pressure, inducements and central investigative agencies.
ED summons Mitra’s family
The political development comes amid an ongoing Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation into the alleged West Bengal municipal recruitment scam.
According to officials, Mitra’s wife and two sons have been summoned to appear before the agency after investigators allegedly uncovered financial transactions linked to the money laundering probe.
Earlier this year, the ED searched multiple premises connected to Mitra, including his residences in Bhawanipur and Kalighat, as part of the investigation.
The case stems from alleged irregularities in appointments across several municipal bodies in West Bengal and is being investigated under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) based on predicate offences registered by the CBI.
