West Bengal Pradesh Congress Committee President Subhankar Sarkar on Friday launched a sharp attack on both the BJP and the Trinamool Congress (TMC), alleging that the saffron party has played a key role in weakening Opposition politics in the state by encouraging the creation of a “shadow Trinamool”.
His remarks come days after 58 TMC MLAs, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, reportedly revolted against the Mamata Banerjee-led party’s leadership and sought the reorganisation of a breakaway faction as the legitimate Trinamool Congress.
Sarkar told India Today that internal divisions and fragmentation within the Trinamool Congress over the years have taken place with the tacit support of the BJP, alleging that a parallel political structure has been deliberately cultivated to weaken Opposition space in West Bengal.
“The dirty politics of BJP, which is now being shown as the Bengal model, will not be accepted by the people of Bengal in the coming days,” Sarkar said.
He further said that the emergence of what he described as a “shadow Trinamool” has contributed to weakening democratic checks and balances in the state.
“If there is no constructive Opposition, how will checks and balances function? How will the government’s mistakes be corrected? In a democracy and parliamentary politics, this is essential. Today, the government, in order to protect itself, has created a shadow Opposition,” he said.
MAHUA MOITRA ALSO ALLEGES BJP ORCHESTRATED TMC SPLIT
On the same day, TMC MP Mahua Moitra also alleged that the BJP of engineering the Trinamool rebellion. She claimed that West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, formerly associated with the Trinamool Congress, was well aware of each MLA’s vulnerabilities and had used that knowledge to influence them individually.
According to her, Adhikari allegedly approached MLAs one by one, applying pressure based on personal or legal fears. “He knows exactly what each Achilles’ heel of each MLA is. He has done this operation one-to-one on each MLA,” Moitra alleged.
“So one MLA, for example, Sabina Yasmin in Motabari, has been told, ‘The NIA will get you for the Motabari violence’. Two other people, Javed Khan, for example, have been told, ‘You will be arrested. Your son will be arrested for the illegal construction in your area’. So each of these people have got some pressure point,” the MP added.
SARKAR’S ‘WASHING MACHINE’ JIBE TARGETS BJP
The Congress state chief, on speculation over political realignments, said the party’s doors remain open to those willing to leave the Trinamool Congress. However, he took a sharp swipe at the BJP, alleging it operates a “washing machine” for leaders facing investigations by central agencies.
“The corrupt will not come to Congress. They will look for the BJP. Why? The washing machine they haveED, CBI, income tax, policeit is fully coated. Once someone enters it, no one can catch anyone,” Sarkar alleged.
When asked about the possibility of Mamata Banerjee joining the Congress, he said such decisions would be taken by the Congress Working Committee, the party high command.
He also reiterated that the Congress continues to oppose what it describes as authoritarian politics under the BJP, asserting that the party is carrying forward this struggle under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.
Speaking about the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi on June 8, Sarkar said the Congress continues to play a key role in the alliance, projecting Rahul Gandhi as a central figure in Opposition leadership.
TRINAMOOL CONGRESS FACES TURMOIL
The Trinamool Congress was pushed into its most serious internal crisis since its founding nearly three decades ago, as an apparent split emerged within the party for the first time in its 28-year history.
On Wednesday, 58 rebel MLAs reportedly took control of the party’s legislature wing, elected expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as their leader, and obtained recognition from the West Bengal Assembly Speaker.
Despite the assertive move, Banerjee attempted to temper the revolt by appealing to TMC supremo and former chief minister Mamata Banerjee to act as chief adviser to the newly formed legislature group.
Meanwhile, the dissident bloc went a step further, declaring itself the “real” Trinamool Congress within the Assembly.
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