In a significant move, Anubrata Mondal delivered a message of unity to party workers and leaders during a TMC Bijoya Sammilani event in Muraroi, Birbhum district. He emphasised that everyone is a party worker and should work together. Mr Mondal, recently released from Tihar Jail after being arrested by the CBI and ED in connection with the cattle smuggling case, recently returned to his hometown of Nichupatti in Bolpur after two years. “We have only one leader, Mamata Banerjee. All other leaders are party workers. We all have to work together and discourage factional feuds within the party,” Mr Mondal, also known as Kesto, told party workers at the Bijoya Sammilani.
Kajal Sheikh, the current sabhadipati of Birbhum Zilla Parishad and considered a rival group leader within the TMC, was notably absent from the event. Mr Mondal emphasised the importance of unity among party leaders and workers in preparation for the upcoming 2026 Assembly polls. This year marked his first attendance at the Durga Puja Carnival in Bolpur since his release. As of today, Mr Mondal hasn’t met Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee or Trinamul Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee after his release. Neither has there been any official comment from them.
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However, the state government has provided Y-category security coverage to him, his daughter Sukanya Mondal, and it appears his previous official positions might be reinstated soon as the party prepares for the upcoming six Assembly byelections. The six-member core committee formed by Mamata Banerjee after Mr Mondal’s arrest, comprising Kajal Sheikh, two MPs, and other leaders, continues to operate in Birbhum.