Factionalism within the Trinamool Congress has again reared its head in Malda and North Dinajpur districts ahead of next year’s Assembly elections.
While the infighting was exposed during the party’s “Vijaya Sammilani” celebration in North Dinajpur, a clash between two groups of party supporters left three persons injured at Malda's Rathbari panchayat on Thursday night.
Those injured in Malda, all close relatives of elected Trinamool panchayat members had reportedly engaged in a heated argument over the selection of beneficiaries under the Banglar Abas housing scheme earlier that day.
According to local leaders Feku Momin and Rasel Momin, trouble started during an informal meeting of panchayat members when Nasir Ahmed, 33 husband of Rathbari panchayat head Samsun Nehar and son of Kaliachak-II block Trinamool president Hasimuddin Ahmed , allegedly tried to attack them.
“Nasir suddenly turned furious and attempted to assault us. We are afraid because he wields considerable influence in the locality,” Feku said.
Feku’s wife, Sarifa Khatun, an elected member of the panchayat, alleged that Nasir and his aides later attacked her husband and Rasel on their way home.
“They were beaten mercilessly. Locals rescued them and took them to Malda Medical College and Hospital,” she said.
Panchayat chief Samsun Nehar denied the allegations.
“Those two have been opposing developmental activities of the panchayat for months. They came to disrupt the meeting. When my husband (Nasir) protested, they tried to hit him with a wooden chair. His shoulder suffered an injury and he is now under treatment,” Nehar said.
Both groups have lodged written complaints against each other with the police.
Local MLA and minister of state Sabina Yeasmin visited the homes of the injured on Friday evening but declined to comment.
In neighbouring North Dinajpur, differences between the Trinamool-run civic body and Raiganj MLA Krishna Kalyani came out in the open.
Kalyani, who joined the Trinamool from the BJP in October 2021, repeatedly criticised the functioning of the Raiganj Municipality’s Board of Administrators (BoA) over "poor" civic services.
He voiced concern about traffic snarls, bad roads and garbage, particularly after parts of the city were waterlogged following heavy rains before Vishwakarma Puja last month. The MLA toured several flooded areas and publicly rebuked the civic board for its failure to maintain the drainage system.
The state government formed a three-member BoA, comprising former chairman Sandeep Biswas, vice-chairman Arindam Sarkar, and councillor Sadhan Barman about three years ago to oversee municipal affairs. Kalyani’s brother, Pradeep, was inducted into the BoA around three months ago.
Despite that, relations between the MLA and the civic body remained sticky. Kalyani boycotted the Trinamool’s Durga Puja Carnival in Raiganj, citing poor civic performance as the reason.
The rift deepened during the Trinamool’s Vijaya Sammilani held at Karnajora Auditorium on October 7, where the municipal leadership and its supporters were conspicuously absent.
“We were not invited,” said BoA chairman Sandeep Biswas.
Referring to Kalyani's carnival boycott, Biswas said: "If someone chooses to think too highly of himself and boycotts the chief minister’s programme, naturally we will protest."
The escalating discord prompted district Trinamool president Kanhaiyalal Agarwal to convene an emergency meeting as soon as possible.
“We have also instructed all district leaders and members to keep their grievances within the party. Anyone found violating the directive will face disciplinary action,” Agarwal warned.