Where was Mamata Banerjee when bribes were demanded?: Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 11 (ANI): The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is currently grappling with its most significant internal crisis in recent years, triggered by a crushing electoral defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections.
The party's stability is under severe pressure as a growing number of legislators and parliamentarians openly revolt against the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and the influence of national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
Amid this upheaval, rebel TMC Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Thursday publicly challenged the party's leadership regarding systemic corruption. Speaking to ANI, she pointedly questioned Mamata Banerjee's oversight, stating, "Why do you (the media) talk only about Abhishek (Banerjee)? Where was she (Mamata Banerjee) when the leaders at the junior level used to demand money for work to be done? She should have seen when this was happening."
Dissident voices have increasingly criticised the party's functional style, citing a disconnect between the leadership and the cadre, as well as the outsized influence of political consultancy groups and family-centric decision-making.
Her comments reflected the deep frustration within the ranks, where disgruntled leaders are increasingly blaming the "high command" for ignoring grassroots-level corruption and mismanaging party affairs.
The statement from Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar comes at a time when the party is effectively on the verge of a split. Reports indicate that 20 out of the party's 28 Lok Sabha MPs are preparing to break away.
In the West Bengal Assembly, nearly 60 MLAs have reportedly joined a rebel camp led by expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee. This faction has petitioned the Speaker to be recognised as the "real TMC."
Moreover, the Barasat Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is asserting that the dissident camp's influence is continuing to expand and that "the number can rise."
Speaking to ANI on the group's growing strength, Dastidar said, "Till now, there are 20 (TMC) MPs, but the number can rise. People are in talks with us."
Earlier, Dastidar escalated the internal crisis within her party by announcing that a faction of 20 MPs had formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements.
"We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction with the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal," she told ANI.
"We are against the lawlessness, misgovernance and unemployment in the state of West Bengal over the past few years. Things have been getting from bad to worse, and I have been with Mamata Banerjee for 40 years... It is useless to say that just because she is not in power in West Bengal, I have left. It is not that...," she added.
Ghosh alleged that in the last three to four years, the pressure was too much on the government officers to work according to the whims and fancies of certain leadership.
"We want to work for the development of the state and for the national interest and the safety and security of the nation. That is why we want to work separately," she said.
The latest flashpoint emerged today when senior TMC MP and advocate Kalyan Banerjee publicly criticised the party's national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee over a legal matter and accused him of displaying an "arrogant attitude."
Kalyan Banerjee went so far as to issue an ultimatum to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, saying she should choose between him and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. He also announced that he would no longer appear in legal matters on behalf of Abhishek Banerjee.
The developments come amid a series of resignations from the Rajya Sabha. TMC MP Prakash Chik Baraik resigned from the Upper House on Wednesday, becoming the third party MP to do so within a week after Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray stepped down earlier.
Meanwhile, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has claimed that a group of 20 MPs has sought separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha and expressed support for the NDA.
However, TMC Lok Sabha MP Pratima Mondal rejected reports linking her to the alleged move and challenged the rebel faction to produce any document bearing her signature. She reaffirmed her loyalty to the party and said she would remain with the Trinamool Congress until 2029.
The turmoil has drawn national attention, with Mamata Banerjee meeting INDIA bloc leaders in New Delhi to shore up her political position. But public charges of corruption and open defiance from senior leaders suggest the rebellion is no longer quiet discontent. It now looks like an organised push that could threaten TMC's future in its current form. (ANI)