Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday termed factionalism as part of a natural process in a party that was growing while commenting on the recent murders of a TMC leader and a worker in Malda district.
“Whenever a political party grows, factionalism follows as part of a natural process…. Was there no factionalism in the CPM when it was in power here? Is there no infighting in the BJP?” asked Abhishek during an interaction with journalists at Falta in South 24-Parganas.
“Differences emerge among four people even in a family of six. Since Trinamool is a large party with multiple tiers of leadership and over one lakh office-bearers, differences will inevitably exist… it is only natural,” he added responding to questions on factional feuds in the ruling party and their manifestation in the form of violent attacks on TMC leaders and workers.
On January 2, Englishbazar municipal councillor Dulal Sarkar was chased and shot dead. On Tuesday, a group opened fire at an infrastructure inauguration event in Malda district, killing Trinamool worker Hassan Sheikh and injuring local leader Bakul Sheikh and others. These incidents followed a third attempt to murder Trinamool leader and Kolkata Municipal Corporation’s borough XII chairperson Sushanta Ghosh in November.
During an administrative review meeting televised live on January 2, chief minister Mamata Banerjee held Malda district police responsible for Sarkar's murder.
Trinamool leader Narendranath Tiwari and others were arrested in connection with Sarkar's killing. The police have launched a major manhunt for those responsible for Tuesday’s attack.
Adding to the embarrassment of the TMC, Sarkar’s wife, Chaitali Sarkar — a Trinamool councillor in the Englishbazar municipality — said in public that a faction within the party was to blame for the conspiracy to assassinate her husband.
Following the Tuesday attack, Chaitali said the principal figures behind such crimes were yet to be arrested and Malda would “stop bleeding” only after that happened. Chaitali had also said she had the names and was willing to share them with Mamata if granted an audience.
“A lot depends on the action by the district and the police administration, in the immediate aftermath of any such incident. In Malda, the accused were arrested (for the January 2 murder),” said the Diamond Harbour MP on Wednesday, on the sidelines of an ongoing healthcare initiative in his constituency.
“Investigation here is not carried out to frame somebody, anyhow. Investigation and action happen as they should. Whoever is truly responsible is held accountable,” he added. “The chief minister’s name is Mamata Banerjee. So is the name of the supreme leader of the Trinamool Congress. In the (January 2) Malda incident, the leader arrested is from the Trinamool Congress…. We here look at the crime to act, nothing else.”
Abhishek underscored the actions initiated against TMC leaders and workers and asked if any ruling party in other states had taken similar steps in recent memory.
“Can you recall examples of such action by other political parties? Have you seen members of ruling parties being arrested under the Left Front regime here or in the BJP-ruled states? We, however, have done that,” said Abhishek.
“If any leader in Trinamool assumes they will exert dominance by monopoly or hereditary authority, they will inevitably regret it. The CPM made the same mistake when it had power for 34 years. The BJP attempted it elsewhere,” he added. “Our doors will be permanently shut for them, in the future…. Nobody is above party discipline, be it a booth-level worker or me.”
Abhishek said checks and balances would remain in place in Trinamool and if anybody was found involved in unlawful activities, the party wouldn't protect them and instead, initiate stern action.
“If anyone believes they have become way too mighty or are above the party, the disciplinary committees will take action. There has been action in the past, and there will be action in the future,” he said.
AAP endorsement
In response to a question on the Delhi Assembly elections, in which Mamata and several other key non-Congress leaders of the INDIA bloc pledged support for Arvind Kejriwal’s AAP, Abhishek asked if anybody actually thought the Grand Old Party could defeat the BJP there.
“Who do you think can defeat the BJP in Delhi? So why should we not support the one that can do so? Ultimately, that’s the principal cause,” he said.
“If someone is genuinely interested in defeating the BJP, they must empower the force that is stronger in that territory,” added Abhishek.