Trinamool Congress state president Chandrima Bhattacharya on Saturday resigned from all organisational posts, alleging that her “loyalty” had been questioned by party chief and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee in the wake of the dramatic takeover of the party headquarters in Calcutta by the party’s rebel faction.
Chandrima, one of Mamata Banerjee’s closest political associates and among her most trusted lieutenants for years, announced her decision before the media shortly after submitting her resignation. The former minister of state for finance, health and family welfare said she had no grievance against any individual but could not continue after her integrity had been doubted.
“When questions are raised about one’s loyalty, there’s no way left to stay. There’s no point in staying anymore, there’s no question of returning,” Chandrima said. “I was accused of allowing them (the rebels) to capture the party office. After hearing that, I can’t stay. I consider myself a failure. I have no allegations against anyone.”
She made a startling revelation about her tenure as finance minister, saying she had virtually no role in preparing the state budget.
“I read the budget in the Assembly, but I never made it. It was given to me minutes before the session,” she said, indicating that key decisions remained in Mamata’s hands.
Chandrima attributed her resignation to Friday’s unprecedented developments at Trinamool Bhavan on the EM Bypass, where the rebel camp led by expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee entered and asserted control over the the party headquarters while she was present.
According to Chandrima, the rebel MLAs neither interacted with her nor told her of their plans. But after she returned home, she was summoned by Mamata.
“Everyone knows what happened on Friday. Several MLAs came to Trinamool Bhavan. Throughout the time I was there, they did not speak to me. After I came home, I was asked to call Mamata Banerjee. When I did, she asked me, ‘Did you hand over the building to them?’” Chandrima said, explaining why she felt her credibility had been irreparably damaged.
Her resignation comes amid the deepest organisational crisis in the party’s history. Sixty of its 80 MLAs are backing Howrah Madhya MLA Arup Roy as the party’s chairperson instead of party founder Mamata. The revolt has spread to Parliament, where 20 of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, have broken away to join the fledgling Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), leaving Mamata politically isolated.
Chandrima was appointed state president on June 3 after Mamata dissolved all organisational committees following the party’s Assembly poll debacle. She replaced veteran leader Subrata Bakshi as part of a restructuring exercise aimed at rebuilding
the organisation.
In her resignation letter, Chandrima stated she was stepping down as party state president and relinquishing all remaining organisational responsibilities. She also requested that she be relieved of her role as the authorised signatory to the bank accounts of the party and those of its affiliated organisations. In addition, she resigned from her responsibility of representing Trinamool before the Election Commission and acting as the party’s authorised channel
of communication.
Son factor
After Chandrima resigned, Mamata said she would take care of the party’s state president role. Rejecting Chandrima’s explanation, Mamata claimed during a live Facebook address that the resignation was prompted by personal compulsions arising from her son, Sourav Basu, joining the rebel camp.
Mamata said Chandrima had been expressing her desire to resign over personal reasons for several days.
Sourav Basu, a Calcutta Municipal Corporation councillor, had recently attended a special session convened by the rebel MLAs where Mamata was replaced by Roy as the party’s chairperson. Chandrima, however, distanced herself from her son’s
political choices.
“Sourav is mature enough to make his own decisions. I stopped discussing politics with him and stopped visiting his office after he began holding meetings with the rebel MLAs,” she said.
Chandrima was seen meeting Ritabrata in the Assembly after submitting her resignation, but denied joining the rebel camp, saying she had gone to ask about benefits available to former MLAs.
Reactions
The rebels welcomed her resignation. Ritabrata took a swipe at the Mamata camp, saying that in “a private limited company”, one used to get “bloodshot eyes” even for trivial mistakes. “That culture is now a thing of the past. That is why no one wants to remain associated with a private limited company,” he said.
Leaders loyal to Mamata adopted differing positions. Kunal Ghosh launched a sharp attack on Chandrima, questioning her conduct during Friday’s confrontation at Trinamool Bhavan.
“When this happened, she should have remained in the office as the state president. Other colleagues requested her to stay for some time, but she said, ‘I won’t stay here,’ called a car and left. That is not appropriate for a party president,” he alleged.
Party leaders said Chandrima had enjoyed Mamata’s complete confidence for long and was widely regarded as the second-most influential figure in the Trinamool-led state government after the supremo. Mamata had also personally chosen Chandrima to head the state unit. Her resignation marks the end of an era in the party Mamata founded in 1998.