The Trinamul Congress leadership has verbally asked its members to avoid any kind of arguments with workers of Opposition parties over the arrest of Partha Chatterjee and seizure of over Rs 49.8 crore from his associate’s flats and instead, highlight the action Mamata Banerjee and Trinamul took against him.

Chatterjee was divested of his ministerial berths and suspended from Trinamul on July 28 after the party had faced uncomfortable questions from various quarters, internal and external.

“We have been getting reports that at a few places, Trinamul leaders are getting involved in unnecessary arguments with those supporting the Opposition or with common people, or even on social or mainstream media. These are best avoided at the moment,” said a senior Trinamul leader in Calcutta.

A Trinamul source said party supporters had been asked to stay away from arguments over the Chatterjee issue. “More importantly, they were instructed to highlight the immediate, strict action taken against Parthada by the party and the government,” said the source.

Another Trinamul leader pointed to an incident on July 28 when the party’s Kamarhati MLA Madan Mitra had got involved in an altercation with CPM leaders and workers.

The brawl occurred when state CPM secretary Md. Salim was taking out a rally in protest against alleged corruption in the recruitment of teachers.

Mitra protested against the CPM workers raising slogans against the chief minister. The CPM workers allegedly tried to attack Mitra and his followers. Police intervened and controlled the situation.

Sources said Trinamul was treating the situation arising out of Chatterjee’s arrest as a “crisis for the party for the time being” as it became a topic of discussions in every corner of the state. The Opposition parties are taking out several rallies in districts in protest against alleged irregularities in School Service Commission recruitments.

“The BJP and the CPM are trying to instigate our workers to create troubles in order to gain political advantage. We don’t have to fall prey to the rival parties’ tactics,” said the Trinamul insider.

On Saturday, Birbhum Trinamul MP Satabdi Roy was asked by journalists at a programme about on the arrest of Chatterjee and his associate Arpita Mukherjee. Roy replied: “Is Arpita (Mukherjee) my aunt or relative? Why will I comment on this?”

The Trinamul sources said the Birbhum MP had taken the correct stand and others should follow her example.

Trinamul leaders think the issue would soon fade away. “It is better to wait it out and let it die a natural death,” said a senior Trinamul MP.