The recent debate between veteran Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Bandyopadhyay and the relatively younger state spokesperson Kunal Ghosh over the leadership of Abhishek Banerjee was indicative enough of a sharp division within the party. The situation became so embarrassing that senior party leader and General Secretary Partha Chatterjee had to step in to put an end to the controversy.

The controversy started when Abhishek, going against Mamata Banerjee’s decision to allow the Gangasagar Mela, said that all religious and political programmes should be put on hold. Bandyopadhyaya who is considered to be close to the chief minister countered Abhishek saying that Mamata Banerjee wants to do the fair and one of the leaders of the same party is saying just the opposite. Being the All-India General Secretary of the Party (Abhishek Banerjee), one cannot have any personal opinion”.

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Ghosh who made a comeback to the party after six years of imprisonment in the Saradha chit fund scam because of Abhishek Banerjee immediately retorted. “Abhishek Banerjee is the second in command in the party after Mamata Banerjee. When he is saying something the common soldiers like us should keep quiet and listen. We need to speak considering everything.”

Bandyopadhyay in reply said, “I don’t consider anyone in the party but Mamata Banerjee to be the leader. I respect the position but don’t consider him to be a leader. If Abhishek Banerjee can bring victory for the party in Goa and Tripura then I shall consider him to be a leader.”

The controversy escalated to such an extent that Partha Chatterjee had to speak to both the leaders and ask them not to give statements in public. The party warned everyone not to speak in public. “Everyone has been asked not to give any public statement. If anyone has any grievance, he should speak to the senior party leaders or to the chief minister,” a senior party leader said.

Though the controversy was apparently doused but that it had a deeper impact on the authority of Mamata Banerjee was manifested when in a recent meeting with the party MPs at her Kalighat residence she said that she would look after the organisation of the party in West Bengal. The chief minister’s statement just before the party’s first organisational polls early next month is an obvious indication that she wanted to send a strong message to the party workers that she still has the last word in the party.

Political experts are of the opinion that it has a wider range of political and organisational ramifications. “Abhishek Banerjee is still not wholly accepted in the party particularly among the senior leaders. The rift between the younger generation and older leaders is widening and Mamata Banerjee wanted to put a cap on that,” a senior political analyst said.

Not only that, the chief minister’s strong message to the junior rung of the workers and leaders has a wide range of political implications too. “Mamata is still the most accepted and adored political leader in the state and there is no other political leader in the party who is capable of matching her charisma. In this situation the shift of the centre of gravity towards Abhishek Banerjee in the party might erode the support base having a long-term effect on the vote bank. So, this will not only restore confidence among the confused party workers but also help to restore the faith of the voters,” he added.

Sources in the party also indicated that the chief minister has directed to send the names of the possible candidates for the municipal elections to Rajya Sabha MP and Trinamool Congress General Secretary Subrata Bakshi, making it clear that she will have the final word about selecting the candidates for the forthcoming municipal polls.

“Previously the nomination of the candidates was done by I-Pack — the professional group of election strategist Prashant Kishore — and it was sent to Mamata Banerjee for final approval. The change in the strategy is an obvious signal that she wants to plug the influence of the outside elements in the party,” a senior cabinet minister considered close to Mamata Banerjee told IANS on condition of anonymity.

The change was first felt when she nominated Firhad Hakim as the mayor of the Kolkata Municipal Corporation ignoring the party policy of ‘One Person – One Post’. It is widely believed that Hakim was never the first choice of Abhishek Banerjee; rather he suggested another name but Mamata Banerjee by nominating Hakim as the mayor made it very clear that like before she will decide the final policies of the party. Now how much can she keep the influence of Abhishek Banerjee in the party at bay will be the thing to watch.