Kolkata:
In a telling sign of growing discontent within the Trinamool Congress ranks, 60 of the party’s 80 Bengal MLAs skipped a meeting at former chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s house on Saturday, resulting in its cancellation, sources said. The party later gave a feeble explanation for the fiasco, saying the leaders were occupied following attacks on TMC leaders Abhishek Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee.
The Trinamool Congress sources said the meeting, called by legislative party leader Shovandeb Chattopadhyay at Mamata Banerjee’s Kalighat house in Kolkata, was called off because of low attendance. Only 20 lawmakers turned up. Those absent were contacted but were incommunicado, the sources added.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed the MLAs who didn’t show up were busy in the wake of the attacks on Abhishek Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee — two of the party’s towering leaders.
“The Trinamool Congress legislature party meeting was scheduled. Yesterday, our All India General Secretary and MP Abhishek Banerjee was attacked. After that, a lot of MLAs and leaders held a protest rally in many areas. Our senior MP Kalyan Banerjee was also attacked today… The police are detaining people from the protests… We are postponing the meeting for now…The All India Trinamool Congress is giving a call to its workers that a protest will be held in all the wards and blocks against the attack on Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee and other party workers on 1 June. On 2 June, Mamata Banerjee will hold a protest meeting on Rani Rashmoni Road,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
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