"Leadership focused on promoting Abhishek Banerjee": Madan Mitra after switching to rebel TMC camp

In a fresh blow to the Mamata Banerjee camp, MLA Mitra resigned from the party and joined the rebel TMC faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.

Madan Mitra told ANI that he resigned from Mamata Banerjee's TMC as he was unable to work effectively. He said that his concerns went unaddressed by the party leadership.

"I resigned because I was no longer able to work effectively within Mamata Banerjee's TMC. I have stepped down from all the committees I was part of. More and more of Mamata Banerjee's long-time associates are leaving the party because, in my view, the leadership is focused on promoting Abhishek Banerjee rather than strengthening the organisation. TMC is not one person's party," Mitra said.

"I raised these concerns with Mamata Banerjee on several occasions, but they were not addressed. In my view, Abhishek Banerjee wants decisions to be made solely on his terms and does not allow others to play a meaningful role. As a result, I believe the party's position is weakening," he said.

West Bengal Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Ritabrata Banerjee called the split in the TMC a "fight against authoritarianism."

Ritabrata Banerjee said, " It is a fight against authoritarianism, fascist tendencies and the concentration of power, and in support of democracy and collective decision-making. More people are joining this movement. Anubrata Mondal will also join the movement (July 21 rally). When attempts are made to undermine democracy and impose authoritarian rule, they may succeed for a while. But in the long run, democracy will prevail."

BJP State General Secretary Locket Chatterjee said that the ruling party was not concerned with TMC leaders switching camps, stating that the opposition party was "almost finished."

"Who is going where is not our concern. Our only focus is the development of the people. TMC as a party is almost finished. At present, it is unclear who is aligning with whom and who is trying to protect their own interests," the BJP leader said.

Earlier this month, the former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee had announced the induction of Madan Mitra and Kunal Ghosh into the TMC's state committee as General Secretaries.

Madan Mitra switched sides amid an internal organisational rift within the party, after Ritabrata Banerjee led a rebel faction with at least 58 MLAs and "took control" of the party headquarters, following the debacle in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The Congress and TMC observed July 21 as 'Shaheed Diwas' in West Bengal to commemorate the 13 Youth Congress workers who were killed in police firing during a protest under the Left Front regime in 1993. Both TMC factions have announced their rallies on the 'Shaheed Diwas'. (ANI)