Senior TMC leaders, led by the party’s state president Subrata Bakshi, held a meeting with the Birbhum leadership on Saturday and asked Anubrata Mondal to work together with his rival and Birbhum zilla parishad chief Kajal Sheikh.

This was seen as a clear message that no punitive action would be taken against the foul-mouthed leader for his recent verbal abuse of a police officer and his family.

A source said that Bakshi, state urban development minister Firhad Hakim and state power minister Aroop Biswas held a closed-door meeting on Saturday with Mondal, Kajal, Birbhum district committee chairperson and deputy speaker Asish Banerjee to discuss organisational matters of Birbhum in the backdrop of cop-abuse controversy.

“The state leaders sent a clear message that no incident that embarrasses the party would be tolerated and asked Kesto (Mondal’s nickname) and Kajal to work together. The controversy over the phone call abusing Bolpur IC (Liton Halder) was not discussed in detail,” said a
TMC source.

The source added that Mondal had apologised for his actions and the top party leadership issued him a “final warning”.

That the party stands by Mondal became evident when he immediately called a district committee meeting for June 25 — an action that should have been initiated by district chairperson
Asish Banerjee.

“According to talks with Bakshi da and other senior leaders, Asish Banerjee was assigned to coordinate with Anubrata, Kajal and other district leaders in his capacity as district committee chairperson. Anubrata was so desperate that he called the meeting himself on June 25. The matter has been taken seriously and reported to the leadership in Calcutta,” said a Birbhum TMC leader.

A senior TMC leader said the meeting with Mondal and the instruction to “work together” indicated that the party would not remove him from his organisational post in the core committee. “The party does not want to take any disciplinary action against him because it desperately needs his organisational clout for the Assembly polls. Action against him could deepen the rift between the two groups (Mondal and Kajal) and benefit the BJP,” said the leader.

Hakim clarified the party’s position when asked about the May 28 verbal abuse case involving the Bolpur IC.

“You don’t ask questions when (CPM leaders) Anil Basu, Binoy Konar, or (BJP leader) Kailash Vijayvargiya say something objectionable. Will only TMC leaders be held accountable? We do not support what he (Mondal) did, and he has been given a final warning,” Hakim said after the meeting.

On May 28, Mondal verbally abused the Bolpur IC, his wife and mother, using highly offensive language. Once its audio clip went viral, it caused grave discomfort for the party, prompting Mondal to issue an apology within four hours. Birbhum police registered a criminal case against him, including two non-bailable charges. Mondal skipped two police summons, citing ill-health and appeared for interrogation on June 1.

BJP Bengal chief Sukanta Majumdar alleged that TMC leaders like Hakim did not view the abuse as a serious offence. “Its is not just the behaviour of one leader; it reflects a pattern among TMC leaders,” he claimed. “I don’t know of any other political leader who has abused a police officer and his family like this. Since such behaviour has become routine among TMC leaders, Hakim didn’t consider Kesto’s actions a serious crime.”

CPM leader Sujan Chakraborty said the TMC’s proceedings showed the party was run more by those who follow Mondal’s style. “Today’s meeting and its outcome prove the TMC is defined by Anubrata Mondal. Hakim just confirmed it,” he said.

Only Mamata pictures

TMC leaders on Saturday said it was decided that only photographs of Mamata Banerjee would be used in posters and banners in the July 21 Martyrs’ Rally campaign. No photo of Abhishek Banerjee would be there, a source said.