All Is Not Well In TMC? Abhishek Banerjee’s Silence Makes Noise As Senior Leaders Question Administration

Is all not well within the Trinamool Congress (TMC)? This question is doing the rounds in political circles as various leaders have started to question and criticise the steps taken by the administration in the wake of the rape and murder of a trainee doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on August 9 and the subsequent vandalism on August 14. Another question being raised is over the silence of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the day-to-day activities of the party amid the situation.

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh posted on X on Saturday afternoon: “The Left and Congress are doing conspiracy. We will fight it under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership. We need to correct certain mistakes…We will fight, but we need Abhishek Banerjee to be active.”

The day after the hospital was vandalised on August 14 midnight, Abhishek, on X, asked the administration to arrest all those behind it. “The hooliganism and vandalism at RG Kar tonight have exceeded all acceptable limits. As a public representative, I just spoke with @CPKolkata , urging him to ensure that every individual responsible for today’s violence is identified, held accountable, and made to face the law within the next 24 hours, regardless of their political affiliations. The demands of the protesting doctors are fair and justified. This is the minimum they should expect from the government. Their safety and security must be prioritized,” he wrote.

However, he was not seen at the rally in which TMC chief and West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee demanded capital punishment for the rape-murder accused.

DIFFERENCE OF OPINION

Sources inside TMC say that after the Lok Sabha polls, it is clear that the TMC has done badly in urban areas. Abhishek wanted non-performers in the party or administration to be removed, said sources. Abhishek later went for an eye check-up. Since then, he has been vocal in Parliament and his own constituency, but not inside the party. There has always been a difference of opinion between a section of seniors and juniors.

Party sources tell News18 that as the party faces Assembly polls in 2026, they will have a baggage of 15 years of anti-incumbency. “Good governance can only help the party to do well. There are problems of administration which might belittle the party,” say those close to Abhishek.

While speaking to the media, Abhishek demanded that the Centre should bring in a law to hang the culprit if there is circumstantial evidence.

Sources, however, said the posts on X are not strategy advice. Ghosh told News18: “We want him to be active.”

He is staying inactive owing to the wrong steps of administration and behaviour of senior leaders, say party insiders. In the RG Kar incident, too, certain leaders had made comments questioning the government.

Three key leaders with difference stance:

SANTANU SEN

According to sources, TMC leader Santanu Sen always had a problem with RG Kar Hospital principal Dr Sandip Ghosh. The doctor was so powerful that Sen, even though a leader from the area, had to fight with him to get political space in the hospital. After the rape and murder, Sen raised questions on Dr Ghosh. Not only that, he also mentioned that certain information does not reach CM Mamata Banerjee.

Just after that he was removed from the post of spokesman.

KUNAL GHOSH

TMC leader Kunal Ghosh had strong words against the government. He said that Dr Sandip Ghosh should be removed from his present position, pointing out three mistakes of the TMC.

First, Dr Ghosh should not have been reinstated. Second, the hospital should have properly communicated with the woman’s parents without trying to suppress information. Infrastructure work should not have started opposite the crime scene, he said.

As the East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan match was put on hold in Kolkata on Sunday, stating the police cannot give sufficient force, Ghosh criticised the move. “If anybody would have come with placards demanding justice, they could have come. Why was the derby stopped,” he asked.

SUKHENDU SHEKHAR ROY

Another TMC veteran and Rajya Sabha MP, Roy was hurt with the incident. He sat on a ‘dharna’ alone on August 14, when women protested for justice. He also wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah about the incident.

Finally he wrote on X and requested the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to interrogate principal and Kolkata commissioner in custody. Roy has been summoned by police for giving out factually incorrect details.

To which Kunal Ghosh wrote on X: “I also demand justice in RG Kar case. But strongly oppose this demand regarding CP. After he got information, he tried his best. Personally, the CP was doing his job and investigation was in a positive focus. This kind of post is unfortunate, that too from my senior leader.”

Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sukanto Majumdar posted on X: “TMC, even your own members admit that Sandip Ghosh and CP Vinit are involved in more than just the horrific rape and murder of a young doctor. This state machinery has sunk to new lows, with party members now questioning the extent of this government’s downfall. #MamataResign.”