The core committee of the Trinamul Congress’s Birbhum district unit will meet on November 16 under the leadership of Anubrata Mondal, who returned home recently after spending 25 months in prison.

Trinamul’s Suri MLA Bikash Roychoudhury said on Friday that Mondal would chair the meeting as the party’s district president under the instruction of Mamata Banerjee.

The announcement, fairly unexpected in the ruling dispensation, came a day after Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee had endorsed the performance of the committee, which had been managing Birbhum in the absence of Mondal.

Mondal had been arrested by central investigation agencies in cases related to alleged cattle smuggling.

Since Mondal’s return, questions were raised within the Trinamul ecosystem about the future of the old guard vis-a-vis the committee.

“According to her instructions, he will be present at the meeting as our district president,” said Roychoudhury, convener of the core committee, adding that the meeting would take place at the party’s Bolpur office from 3pm.

“This meeting would determine our future course of action concerning our organisation. There would be detailed discussions and deliberations,” he said.

Besides Roychoudhury, the committee comprises Rampurhat MLA and deputy Speaker of the Assembly Asish Banerjee, Labpur MLA Abhijit Sinha, minister and Bolpur MLA Chandra Nath Sinha, zilla parishad chief Sheikh Kajal, and the youth wing’s district unit chief Sudipta Ghosh.

Asked about Mondal’s inclusion in the meeting, Roychoudhury attributed it to Mamata in no uncertain terms.

“We are acting according to Didi’s instructions. We have always done that, and will continue doing so,” he said.

“Mondal established the party in Birbhum, working on the ground. We haven’t forgotten his contributions,” added the Suri MLA.

On Thursday, the Diamond Harbour MP had said Trinamul should prioritise effective performers over loyalty as it approaches the 2026 Assembly polls. When he was asked about the role of Mondal, Abhishek had said he was in favour of the core committee, as the party performed better under it in Birbhum in the general election this summer than in 2019.

On Friday, when Abhishek’s remarks were underscored, Roychoudhury claimed there was no contradiction.

“Why these questions? Who is saying anything against the core committee or its need?” he asked.

In response to a question on whether the decision — to have a meeting conducted by Mondal — was taken in view of Abhishek’s comment, the Suri MLA said: “No, no. Why should it be so?”

“I want to tell you (the media) that there is no point in causing confusion by saying such things. We are one, the Birbhum unit of the Trinamul Congress, working together to strengthen the party and improve people’s lives. We have proven ourselves,” he added.

Before Mondal’s arrest, he was completely in control of the party in the district. “Keshtoda (Mondal) used to marshal the office. After his arrest and subsequent imprisonment in Delhi’s Tihar jail, all senior leaders stopped coming to the office,” said a TMC worker.