Mamata Banerjee on Monday evening elevated Anubrata Mondal as the convener of the Trinamool Congress’s Birbhum district core committee, months after the controversial strongman was sidelined following a row over the alleged abuse of a police officer and his family members.

On May 16, he was removed from the post of the district president and made a member of the core committee.

A source in Trinamool said that after a half-hour meeting with core committee members, where Mondal was present, Mamata urged everyone to work together, keeping an eye on the next year’s election and announced that the former district president would serve as the convener of the committee.

“Didi said that with the elections ahead, there should be no rift among leaders in Birbhum. She made Anubrata Mondal the convener to call meetings and coordinate work with the other core committee members,” said a Trinamool leader.

Following Mamata’s advice, a tribal leader was inducted into the core committee on Monday. The party source said that Sheikh Kajal, known as a rival of Mondal, told the chief minister that he would have no issue with the controversial leader being made convener.

However, a section of Trinamool leaders said Mondal’s new post might send a wrong message to the public that the party is endorsing someone whose conversation with the inspector-in-charge of the Bolpur police station, in which he allegedly abused and threatened the officer’s family members, crossed all boundaries of decency.

“We have nothing to say, as the instruction has come from the top leadership. However, it seems that Didi (Mamata) believes sidelining Anubrata would cause more damage to the party than his wrongdoings. That said, he hasn’t been given any additional power — he has simply been asked to work jointly with other core committee members, including chairman and deputy speaker Asish Banerjee,” said a Trinamool leader.

Mondal said he would not comment on the decision taken at the core committee meeting with Mamata. A leader close to Mondal told The Telegraph that Mamata “knows his importance,” which was why she rewarded him with a significant position.

“It was clear on Sunday when Didi met him (Anubrata), and they had a brief conversation,” said the leader.

CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said: “This proves that the TMC is run by goons like Anubrata, and even Mamata Banerjee can’t stop his rise.”