Former Mamata Banerjee is facing growing criticism from within the All India Trinamool Congress after the party’s recent assembly election defeat in West Bengal, with several senior leaders publicly questioning the leadership’s handling of corruption allegations, governance issues and the RG Kar hospital rape-murder case.
Among the sharpest critics is TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Roy, who claimed the party was rapidly losing public trust and political relevance.
In an exclusive interview with NDTV, Roy said: “The Trinamool Congress will be finished in a few days. Even in national politics, the party has lost its reliability. No party will join hands with Trinamool now.”
RG Kar Case Became Turning Point, Says Sukhendu Roy
Roy strongly criticised the handling of the rape and murder of a young doctor at Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College and Hospital, an incident that sparked massive protests across the state and drew national attention.
“The way the RG Kar incident was handled — it was wrong. There was clear attempt to shield the culprits. The police were used for that,” he alleged.
According to Roy, the public outrage following the incident marked the beginning of a major shift against the ruling party.
“The RG Kar issue and the protests gave me the first indication that public sentiment had turned against the party. But the party failed to understand that,” he said.
Corruption And Religious Remarks Hurt TMC, Leaders Say
Roy also accused the party leadership of failing to control corruption within the organisation.
“The mountain of corruption the party leaders have made is unthinkable, and Mamata Banerjee failed to control that,” he claimed.
He further criticised remarks allegedly made by Banerjee regarding Hinduism, saying they alienated sections of voters.
“What Mamata said about Hindu dharam, calling it ‘Ganda Dharam’ or making community remarks, was wrong. It goes against our political ethos,” Roy added.
According to him, the scale of public dissatisfaction made the electoral defeat inevitable and accountability must be accepted “from the grassroots to the top leadership.”
I-PAC Blamed For Disconnect Between Leadership And Cadre
Several disgruntled leaders also targeted Prashant Kishor’s political consultancy organisation I-PAC, which had managed the party’s election campaigns in recent years.
Roy alleged that I-PAC had been “given a red carpet to destroy the party.”
I-PAC was brought into the TMC by party leader Abhishek Banerjee in 2018 despite opposition from sections of the party’s old guard. The organisation had been credited with helping the TMC secure a sweeping victory in the 2021 assembly elections.
However, after the latest defeat, criticism against the consultancy firm has resurfaced strongly.
Several leaders accused I-PAC of making Mamata Banerjee inaccessible to party workers and allegedly commercialising party structures.
Kakoli Ghosh, Partha Chatterjee Also Raise Questions
Former TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who recently resigned from party posts, had also criticised I-PAC and internal functioning in her resignation letter.
“If a democratic system within a party has been overshadowed by an undemocratic, murky influence, then I don’t think it is good for the ideals and the heritage of a party,” she wrote.
Her letter also referred to corruption allegations linked to public distribution systems, teacher recruitment scams and governance irregularities.
The RG Kar hospital incident, she said, had “sparked dissatisfaction and mistrust among the people.”
“I too have felt the moral sting,” she wrote.
Former minister Partha Chatterjee also blamed both Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for the party’s poor performance.
“Mamata Banerjee overlooked all corruption. Both Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee are responsible for such results,” he told NDTV.
TMC Cracks Down On Public Dissent
Amid rising public criticism from within, the Trinamool Congress has reportedly formed a five-member committee to act against leaders making public statements against the party.
Party spokesperson Riju Dutta has already been suspended for six years.
The developments signal an unusual phase of internal unrest within the ruling party, which has long maintained a tightly controlled organisational structure under Mamata Banerjee’s leadership.