Agencies | Kolkota:
West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee on Wednesday strongly defended the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, following the resignation of senior leader and Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra, saying those leaving the party by citing his leadership were merely making excuses.
Her remarks came hours after Mitra resigned from the Trinamool Congress and joined a rebel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, in a development that highlighted growing internal dissent within the party.
Responding to Mitra’s exit, Mamata Banerjee rejected allegations against Abhishek Banerjee and reiterated her confidence in his leadership.
“Those who are using Abhishek as an excuse to leave the party are only making excuses. Abhishek is still fighting and continues to stand by the people. There is no point in hiding behind such excuses,” she said.
The Chief Minister also recalled the period when central investigative agencies questioned Abhishek Banerjee’s family.
“When the ED and the CBI summoned Abhishek’s wife, she went to the CBI office with their one-and-a-half-year-old child. They did not back down out of fear at that time,” she said.
Mamata Banerjee added that she had nurtured multiple generations of leaders within the party and would continue to do so.
“I have built three generations of leadership on this issue, and I will continue to build future generations. He still has the ability to stand firm and fight,” she said.
Referring to the Trinamool Congress’ Shahid Diwas programme, she said the court had granted permission for the party’s gathering in front of Birla Planetarium on July 21. According to her, supporters have been asked to assemble from 11 a.m., with the programme scheduled to continue until 3 p.m.
Sending a message to leaders leaving the party, Mamata Banerjee said, “Those who have left because they are afraid of the central agencies are free to do so. It will make no difference to the party. The party will continue to function as it has been.”
Earlier in the day, Madan Mitra resigned from the Trinamool Congress and joined the rebel faction headed by Ritabrata Banerjee. Seeking to downplay the move, Mitra remarked that he had “only changed room in the Assembly.”
The veteran leader criticised the party’s leadership, alleging that the organisation had become centred around Abhishek Banerjee.
“I had suggested to Abhishek Banerjee that he step aside for six months or a year. I told him, let us build the party, and then you can come back and take your seat, but he refused. He said, ‘I won’t leave the party.’ The party is sinking; the boat has gone under. People are dying. Yet the party decided, or rather it was forced to accept, that everyone else could die, but Abhishek had to be saved. It is deeply saddening,” Mitra said.
He further alleged that the party had become focused on protecting a single leader.
“The party belongs to everyone, yet it seems to have been reduced to serving only Abhishek. I earnestly request Mamata ji to come. Let us view this as a marathon. We will surely cross paths along the way. Let us see which horse surges ahead,” he said.
Announcing his resignation, Mitra said he had stepped down from all positions in the Trinamool Congress but would continue as a member of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
“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,” he said.
Mitra’s resignation came a day after the Enforcement Directorate summoned his wife and two sons in connection with the alleged municipal recruitment scam.
His departure comes amid continuing internal challenges for the Trinamool Congress following its defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, with the emergence of dissident voices adding to the party’s political concerns.
