Ritabrata Bandopadhyay, who has now emerged as one of the key faces of the dissident camp inside the Trinamool Congress, recently made a politically significant statement during a press conference. He said that they want Mamata Banerjee to remain as an advisor to their opposition group within the party structure.
This statement is extremely important because it reflects the core political line the dissidents are currently trying to project. They are not directly opposing Mamata Banerjee. In fact, they are repeatedly saying that they still respect her leadership, her political legacy, and her emotional connection with the people of Bengal. They do not want Mamata Banerjee's photograph removed from the party offices, nor are they claiming that she should no longer lead the movement ideologically.
Their primary attack, according to Ritobrata and his associates, is actually directed at Abhishek Banerjee, the growing influence of IPAC-style political management, and what they describe as the increasing corporatisation of the Trinamool Congress.
Without directly naming Abhishek Banerjee every time, several leaders from this camp have been arguing that the traditional grassroots structure of the party has been replaced by consultant-driven politics, centralised decision-making, and a closed-circle leadership culture. Their message is that if Mamata Banerjee remains emotionally and politically connected to the original organisational character of the Trinamool, then they are still willing to continue under her moral guidance.
Now, why did Ritabrata say this?
Ritabrata's repeated praise of Mamata Banerjee is therefore not accidental. It is part of a carefully designed political strategy, and there are four factors for it. Ritabrata is seeking advice from Mamata Banerjee and wants to project that they are the real members of Trinamool and that they are planning to eliminate Abhishek Banerjee from the Trinamool opposition leaders.
Ritobrata said that Abhishek Banerjee is not an MLA and is not directly linked to the legislative party structure inside the assembly. As a result, he can create a certain political distance between Mamata Banerjee and him.
Moreover, they are trying to pressure Mamata Banerjee to take action against Abhishek Banerjee. If the action is taken against him, then only they will stay in the party.
The group wants to project itself as an independent internal rebellion, not as a BJP-sponsored operation. Ritabrata and others are repeatedly trying to clarify that this has no connection with any 'Operation Lotus' or BJP-engineered political conspiracy.
According to them, this is fundamentally a battle for the "opposition space" inside Bengal politics, a space which they believe the Trinamool itself has not allowed either the Congress or the Left Front to occupy effectively over the years.
In fact, there had earlier been discussions around creating a separate political space under the leadership of leaders like Mukul Roy and others who were uncomfortable with the present organisational structure of the Trinamool at that time.
Now, the dissident faction believes that the party's internal crisis itself is opening that space naturally.
One leader close to Ritabrata's group recently claimed that across several districts, ordinary Trinamool workers are being subjected to humiliation and intimidation. There are allegations that local police are being used against grassroots party workers, and in some places, people are allegedly being publicly insulted and harassed. The dissident camp argues that such politically motivated actions must stop immediately.
Through these statements, the group is attempting to retain a moral distinction between themselves and the BJP while simultaneously criticising the current Trinamool leadership model.
The larger political question now is whether this emerging "opposition space" will eventually be occupied by this dissident Trinamool faction, or whether the Congress and CPI(M) will ultimately benefit from the growing anti-incumbency sentiment in Bengal.
The Congress and the Left are already trying to rebuild themselves through broader anti-Trinamool political coordination. Whether they can successfully capture this dissatisfaction among voters remains uncertain. But the very fact that such a discussion is now happening shows how fluid Bengal politics has become after the recent political developments.
At the same time, the internal condition of the Trinamool is becoming increasingly fragile. Mamata Banerjee has publicly maintained that she does not need any intermediary leadership because the common people of Bengal are still with her.
According to her political argument, her strength comes directly from mass support rather than organisational manipulation. However, the recent Trinamool protest gathering in Kolkata's Esplanade appeared to reflect a somewhat different reality. The turnout, the energy level, and the visible internal confusion raised questions even within the party about whether the emotional connection between the masses and the leadership remains as strong as before.
Will the common people continue to stand firmly beside Mamata Banerjee despite the organisational rebellion, factionalism, and leadership crisis? Or is Bengal slowly entering a new phase where emotional loyalty to Mamata Banerjee and dissatisfaction with the present Trinamool structure are beginning to coexist simultaneously? That answer is still unfolding.
(The author is Contributing Editor, NDTV)
Disclaimer: These are the personal opinions of the author
