Expelled Trinamool Congress leader and newly appointed Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Ritabrata Banerjee, spoke to The Hindu, explaining the reasons and timing of his revolt, his relationship with the ruling BJP, and hinting at a split in the parliamentary party in Delhi too.
Why did you and others aligned with you decide to strike out, and why now?
This was the perfect time. Before the elections, I could have been killed. Had the Trinamool Congress won the election, I would have had to remain silent. The selection of the time was not dependent on me. There was no way we could have raised our grievances within the party. The party’s structure had collapsed. Non-political people had been at the helm of affairs. The grassroots party created by Mamata Banerjee has been hijacked by Abhishek Banerjee and his corporate brokers from IPAC. Despite a good performance, I was denied a ticket for the Lok Sabha elections. Instead, in these Assembly polls, I was sent to the Uluberia Assembly constituency, which I was unfamiliar with. For the first three days, I was not allowed to enter Uluberia because the local municipal chairman, who was also a contender for the ticket, was miffed. During my campaign there, I came to understand the spread of corruption on the ground.
You formally joined the Trinamool Congress in 2020 and have been working with it since 2018. How is it that you saw the corruption only now?
I was not part of the Trinamool’s organisational structure… I didn’t head any district. I was working in the trade union. It was only when I went for the Uluberia campaign that I understood the depth of the rot.
There are allegations that this split was engineered by the BJP and that the faction you represent is a BJP-sponsored Opposition. Where do you stand in relation to the BJP?
On May 6, after the results, all MLAs were called for a meeting, and everybody was asked to give a standing ovation to Abhishek Banerjee for his ‘exemplary’ performance in the Assembly polls. I also reluctantly stood up. Many others, too, were hesitant to applaud. Just as fear is contagious, so is courage. Bagnan MLA Arunava Sen refused to stand up. This one gesture galvanised others, too. After Jahangir Khan withdrew from the Falta Assembly re-poll at the last minute, I asked why he was not immediately expelled and why the national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is not taking responsibility. Instead of responding, I was told to check the party’s social media post. On May 19, when I went to sign the party’s letter nominating the Leader of Opposition, I saw the names of many MLAs written in block letters. They had never signed, so someone had just listed their names. They were sending a forged document.
Why didn’t you flag this forgery within the party?
For the last 15 months that I have been in the Rajya Sabha, I have managed to meet Abhishek Banerjee only thrice in Delhi, and that too in passing. My request for a one-on-one meeting with him was ignored. It was only when I raised the Jahangir Khan incident that I was called, only to be told to give all my grievances in writing. So it was clear that even if we were to question the letter, nothing would happen.
And how do you react to the charge that you are a BJP-sponsored Opposition?
During the post-poll violence, two of the 61 MLAs who are with us were attacked by the BJP. Sandip Saha’s residence was attacked. If we were helped by the BJP, why are our MLAs being attacked? Also, our collective has made it clear that in a Presidential or Vice-Presidential election, we will vote and not abstain to bring the numbers down. We are anti-BJP.
Are Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha MPs also standing with you in this rebellion?
Courage, as I said, is contagious. I am confident that courage has travelled from Kolkata to Delhi, covering a distance of 1,435 km. So let’s wait and watch.
