Kolkata, West Bengal – November 6, 2025
The All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), West Bengal's ruling powerhouse, is grappling with a seismic internal schism that threatens to erode its anti-BJP fortress just months before the 2026 Assembly polls. The expulsion of firebrand MP Mahua Moitra from the party's primary membership—announced abruptly on Tuesday—has unleashed a wave of street protests by her supporters, fracturing the once-monolithic Mamata Banerjee-led outfit and prompting an urgent high-command plea for solidarity. As banners decrying "dictatorship within democracy" flutter across Kolkata's arterial streets, the episode lays bare simmering tensions over loyalty, ideology, and power-sharing, handing ammunition to a resurgent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) eyeing a Bengal comeback.
Moitra's ouster, ratified by the TMC's national working committee in a closed-door session at the party's Alipore headquarters, stems from a cascade of disciplinary lapses cited by party insiders. The 50-year-old Krishnanagar MP, renowned for her razor-sharp parliamentary interventions and unapologetic secular stance, has been a lightning rod since her 2023 Lok Sabha expulsion over the "cash-for-query" scandal—a controversy she dismissed as a BJP-orchestrated vendetta. Re-elected in 2024 with a thumping 62% margin, Moitra's post-poll barbs against the party's "sycophant culture" and her vocal opposition to alleged cronyism in municipal contracts appear to have sealed her fate. "Mahua's relentless criticism of internal cabals has crossed the line from dissent to disruption," confided a senior TMC leader, speaking anonymously. The expulsion notice, served via email late Monday, bars her from contesting on a TMC ticket and strips her of all organizational roles, effective immediately.
By dawn on Wednesday, the backlash erupted. Over 5,000 supporters—many young activists from Moitra's digital brigade—marched from Jadavpur University to the party's SSKM Hospital-adjacent office, clashing with police in scuffles that saw 25 arrests and two dozen water cannon deployments. "This is Mamata Didi's party of the people, not a fiefdom for yes-men!" thundered protest coordinator Riya Sen, a 28-year-old law student and Moitra loyalist, as effigies of party disciplinarian Abhishek Banerjee burned amid chants of "Justice for Mahua." In satellite towns like Howrah and Hooghly, parallel rallies drew union workers and women's self-help groups, amplifying fears of a broader exodus. Social media erupted with #SaveMahuaTMC trending nationwide, amassing 2 million posts in 24 hours, including endorsements from opposition figures like CPI(M)'s Mohammed Salim, who quipped, "Trinamool's intolerance mirrors the BJP's playbook."
The high command's response was swift but strained. Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, addressing a hastily convened presser at Nabanna, struck a reconciliatory tone while doubling down on the decision. "Unity is our shield against the communal forces at our gates. Mahua is family, but discipline is non-negotiable. We've faced worse storms; this too shall pass," she urged, flanked by a visibly uncomfortable Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew and the party's de facto No. 2. In a leaked internal memo, the high command invoked the "greater good," warning of BJP's "Operation Bengal Infiltration"—a reference to the saffron party's aggressive outreach via RSS shakhas and Adani Group investments. Party spokesperson Derek O'Brien followed up with a midnight tweetstorm: "Expulsions are rare, but necessary to purge parasites. Let's focus on real enemies: BJP's vendetta politics. Join hands for 2026!"
Yet, beneath the olive branches lie fault lines that could splinter the TMC's 213-seat juggernaut. Moitra's camp, bolstered by allies like Kalyan Banerjee and Saayoni Ghosh, accuses the leadership of purging progressive voices to appease conservative factions ahead of urban local body polls. "It's not about one expulsion; it's a purge of anyone who dares question the heir apparent," alleged a source close to Moitra, alluding to Abhishek's growing influence. Whispers of defections swirl: at least three district presidents in Nadia and Murshidabad have tendered resignations in solidarity, while Moitra herself hinted at floating a "Trinamool 2.0" during a fiery Instagram Live from her Delhi residence. "Bengal's daughters won't be silenced. The fight continues—inside or outside," she declared, her words laced with defiance.
Politically, the timing couldn't be worse for TMC. With BJP chief minister hopeful Suvendu Adhikari barnstorming the state on a "Poriborton Yatra" (Change March), the rift offers fertile ground for poaching disgruntled cadres. "Mamatadi's iron fist is cracking her own base. We're ready to welcome the prodigal sons—and daughters," Adhikari crowed at a rally in Asansol, where crowds swelled by 30% post-expulsion news. Analysts like political scientist Subhamoy Das Gupta foresee ripple effects: "This could cost TMC 10-15 seats in Muslim-dominated pockets, where Moitra's secular credentials held sway. Unity calls ring hollow without accountability."
As the sun sets on a polarized Kolkata—protests simmering under sodium lamps, high-command emissaries shuttling to appease fence-sitters—the TMC's unity gambit hangs by a thread. Will Moitra's expulsion galvanize the faithful or fracture the frontlines? For now, Banerjee's plea echoes: "Against BJP, we're unbreakable." But in the corridors of power, the cracks are all too audible.
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