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Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kunal Ghosh hit out at the rebel faction led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, saying the public was watching leaders who had been elected on the party's mandate now claiming to represent the "real" Trinamool Congress.
Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said on Tuesday that those elected as TMC legislators had contested elections using nomination forms signed by party chief Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. "We do not blame everyone; it has been about a month and a half or two months since the election. If they belong to the TMC, then 'Form A' and 'Form B' were submitted along with their nominations, bearing the signatures of Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee. The very people whose signatures enabled them to become MLAs are the ones they are now claiming to be the 'real' ones. The public is watching," Ghosh said. The remarks come amid an ongoing power struggle within the Trinamool Congress after a rebel faction led by Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee announced the formation of a new leadership structure within the party and appointed senior MLA Arup Roy as party chairperson. The faction also constituted a 30-member National Working Committee (NWC), naming Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Rathin Ghosh, Sabina Yasmin and Javed Khan among others to key positions. The rebel faction claims support from a large section of TMC legislators and has asserted that it represents the "real TMC." Meanwhile, reacting to the appointment of Arup Roy as AITC chairperson, BJP MLA Sajal Ghosh dismissed the development, calling it an internal matter of the Trinamool Congress. "It is their goat; whether he sacrifices it or slaughters it--that is his business. What does it matter to us? He expelled his nephew, yet he kept Mamata Banerjee as an advisor. How does that affect us? It makes no difference to us; it is a matter within his own household," Ghosh told reporters. He also criticised the party leadership, alleging that the party had fielded controversial candidates in the past. Separately, on Mamata Banerjee being removed as TMC chairperson by the rebel group, ISF MLA Naushad Siddiqui termed the development a "sham". "The entire operation is a sham. They have aligned themselves with certain individuals involved in corruption; they are acting this way to evade the consequences of that corruption," Siddiqui told ANI. Meanwhile, Mamata Banerjee's faction has also responded strongly on Tuesday with the TMC disciplinary committee issuing show-cause notices to several senior leaders, including Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Arup Roy, Javed Khan, Rathin Ghosh, Biplab Mitra, Snehasis Chakraborty and Sabina Yasmin, accusing them of anti-party activities. Later, all eight leaders were expelled from the party. Mamata Banerjee also moved swiftly to reinforce her authority, submitting an official list of office-bearers to the Election Commission, in which she was identified as the party chairperson. (ANI)
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