TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal on Saturday took part in the first meeting of the party's Birbhum core committee after May 28 when he allegedly abused and threatened Bolpur inspector-in-charge Liton Halder, his wife and family members.

The meeting was held on a day two TMC workers were killed and three injured, allegedly while making crude bombs at Hatia village in Birbhum's Labhpur, raising concerns about the worsening political instability in the district with ruling party feuds ahead of the 2026 Assembly polls.

At Saturday's meeting, the party tried to rein in the foul-mouthed leader by telling him that neither could he announce any meeting on own or take unilateral decisions without prior consent of the nine-member organisational body.

Trinamool insiders said while the party did not "show the desired courage" to take punitive action against Mondal's unacceptable behaviour towards the cop, Saturday's meeting revealed he was under duress.

Crude bombs recovered by police after the explosion

“In today’s (Saturday) meeting, it was decided that the chairperson and deputy Speaker of the Bengal Assembly, Asish Banerjee, will convene all meetings. During the meeting, Anubrata did not raise any objection to the decisions taken by the core committee, unusual for someone who used to be the sole decision-maker for the party in Birbhum even two years ago,” said a senior TMC leader.

The core committee, however, did not discuss his verbal abuse controversy.

State president Subrata Bakshi had instructed Mondal to follow the core committee's decisions as he was no longer the district president of the party, a TMC insider said.

Bakshi on June 14 held a meeting with Mondal and senior Birbhum leaders and instructed him to work collectively. Immediately afterwards, a seemingly desperate Mondal called for a Birbhum district committee meeting on June 25 on the party’s official WhatsApp group, which reportedly annoyed most core committee members. They put pressure on the state leadership to ensure he cancelled the meeting on Saturday, hours before the core committee meeting.

The district committee meeting was rescheduled for June 29 by chairperson Asish Banerjee, a TMC insider said.

Many leaders pointed out that although Mondal was no longer the party’s district president, he occupied the central chair and appeared to be leading the meeting on Saturday. “He is trying hard to maintain his image. However, in the next core committee meeting in Suri, such seating arrangements will not be allowed. Asish Banerjee should sit at the centre,” said a core committee member.

Banerjee said the next core committee meeting would be held on July 12 in Suri.

A source said the party did not want to take disciplinary action against Mondal for his organisational clout for the Assembly polls. Any action against him now could deepen the rift between the two Birbhum TMC factions — Mondal and his rival Kajal Sheikh — and benefit the BJP.

The death of party workers Sheikh Sabir and Sheikh Alamgir in a bomb blast at Hatia also left leaders worried. Although the TMC and cops claimed that those killed had criminal backgrounds, local party sources said the incident was a result of rivalry between Mondal and Kajal. Hatia village turned violent on Friday night following a clash between the warring groups, many said. "The deaths confirm that goons are stockpiling crude bombs and the situation in Birbhum is grim. The party must handle organisational affairs more strictly ahead of Assembly polls,” said a TMC leader in Calcutta.

Rana Mukherjee, Bolpur additional SP, said cops would take stern action.

A fresh embarrassment for the TMC surfaced as the FIR lodged by the Bolpur IC confirmed that the call to the police officer’s number had originated from Mondal’s mobile phone. This raised questions as to why Mondal’s phone was not seized when the cop's two phones had been taken away.

Sukanta row

The TMC on Saturday used its social media platforms to attack BJP state president and Union minister of state Sukanta Majumdar for his alleged remarks involving "sex workers" to mock Bengal’s law and order.