‘We Were Told to Stand and Clap for Abhishek,’ Rebel TMC MLA Makes Explosive Claim

Kolkata, June 8: Internal tensions within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) have intensified in West Bengal as rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee made sensational allegations against the party leadership, claiming legislators were instructed to stand and applaud Abhishek Banerjee during a post-election review meeting.

In an exclusive interview with India Today, the rebel legislator strongly criticized the party’s internal functioning and alleged that the meeting, held to review the party’s electoral performance, focused more on honoring Abhishek Banerjee than discussing the setbacks suffered in the Assembly elections.

According to Ritabrata Banerjee, the meeting took place at Kalighat on May 6, just two days after the election results were declared. He claimed that instead of conducting a formal review of the legislative party’s performance, the only resolution passed was to publicly honor Abhishek Banerjee.

“There was no proposal regarding the legislative party. There was only one proposal — everyone should stand up and clap for Abhishek Banerjee,” he alleged. The 47-year-old MLA further stated that several legislators were hesitant to comply with the instruction but felt pressured to do so. “Everyone was hesitant. I was hesitant too. But I did not have the courage to completely refuse, so I only stood halfway from my chair,” he claimed. In a sharp criticism, Ritabrata indirectly described Abhishek Banerjee as the “biggest weakness” of the Trinamool Congress, adding that party members were fully aware of the issue.

The rebel MLA also claimed that support for his faction is growing, asserting that 61 MLAs are now aligned with his group, with the number expected to rise further.

Meanwhile, the TMC leadership has dissolved all organizational committees and announced a structural review of the party, signaling a major internal reorganization amid one of its biggest political crises in recent years.