Police Complaint Filed against Mamata Banerjee, Party Cadres Blame Abhishek for Split

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, June 4: A police complaint has been filed against the Trinamool Congress chief and the former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee by an advocate on the ground that her recent public remarks critical of constitutional institutions and “linking” the Union government to a political killing in Bangladesh were “prejudicial to the nation’s sovereignty and public order.”

The complaint was filed on Wednesday by advocate Rinki Chatterjee Singh of the Calcutta High Court’s Jalpaiguri Circuit Bench at the Cyber police station in Siliguri in North Bengal, an official said on Thursday.

Ms Singh said the former West Bengal Chief Minister had, through “various public speeches, political platforms and media interactions,” allegedly made “provocative and inflammatory statements” against Constitutional institutions, including the Election Commission and the armed forces deployed during the recently-held Assembly elections.

In her complaint, the advocate also claimed Ms Banerjee had “publicly questioned the integrity, neutrality and credibility” of such institutions, thereby “attempting to create public distrust and disaffection against the State machinery.” “Such allegations were allegedly made openly before the public and media with the apparent intention of lowering the image and credibility of the Union government before the international community and creating hostility between two sovereign nations,” the advocate said in the complaint.

Ms Singh also referred to a Trinamool event held at Rani Rashmoni Sarani in Kolkata on June 2, and claimed that Ms Banerjee had stated that “she was privy to confidential discussions with the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) and had linked the Government of India and the Union Home Minister to a political killing in neighbouring Bangladesh.”

The complainant contended that the statements were made for “achieving political mileage and personal political advantage,” and prima facie amounted to “acts prejudicial to the sovereignty, integrity and international standing of India.” The remarks, she claimed, were capable of “inciting public disorder, communal unrest and disharmony among different groups,” and could adversely affect diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh.

The advocate earlier on May 20 had filed another complaint against the Trinamool supremo alleging that remarks made by her at events during 2025 and currently in 2026 had “hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.”

As the TMC is crumbling down from internal squabbles, attempts are being to find the leaders responsible for creating the discord within the party leading to the split in the legislature party and the birth of “real Trinamool” by a group of 58 TMC MLAs and their leader Ritabrata Banerjee was recognised by the Speaker as the “Leader of the Opposition” turning down the claims of the official faction.

Mamata Banerjee had expelled Ritabrata Banerjee from the Trinamool Congress just three days ago. Even as he claimed to be the “real” Trinamool Congress, Ritabrata maintained that Mamata Banerjee continue to be the group’s leader and that he did not intend to break the party. He also said the fight was against “one individual,” the TMC general secretary and Ms Banerjee’s much-discredited nephew Abhishek Banerjee.

After Mamata Banerjee broke the dominance of the Left in 2011, Abhishek Banerjee entered politics and was made president of the Trinamool Youth Congress. Since 2014, Abhishek has been the MP from Diamond Harbour and is currently the party’s general secretary.

Gradually, Abhishek Banerjee’s stature in the Trinamool Congress grew by virtue of being Mamata Banerjee’s nephew. He was seen as her successor. Mamata Banerjee also started trusting Abhishek more than her older colleagues. All the founding leaders of the Trinamool Congress were slowly sidelined, and Abhishek’s grip on the party kept getting stronger.

After the 2021 Assembly elections, when political consultant Prashant Kishor quit I-PAC, Abhishek Banerjee retained the consultancy firm. He signed a five-year contract with I-PAC’s new management and decided to use their services in Bengal.

Abhishek used I-PAC like his personal army and used its resources to spy on Trinamool Congress leaders from the block level to the Lok Sabha. Abhishek Banerjee’s over dependence and trust on I-PAC collapsed the party’s organisational structure, the party insiders said.

Candidates, from panchayats to the Assembly, were no longer selected after consulting local leaders. Everything depended on I-PAC’s feedback. I-PAC staff also started taking advantage of this situation. They reportedly told leaders to toe their line or negative reports about them would be given to Abhishek Banerjee.

After the party’s success in 2024 Lok Sabha elections, his influence increased further. The party that Mamata Banerjee had built by fighting on the streets of West Bengal, even risking her life at times, was crumbling from within, and Mamata Banerjee seemingly didn’t have a clue.

Some senior Trinamool Congress leaders said Abhishek’s aggressive style also rubbed the party leaders the wrong way. He started to run the party like a corporate house, whereas Mamata Banerjee mastered the personal touch. Abhishek Banerjee and I-PAC replaced the TMC’s traditional bottom-up mobilisation with top-down control, data-driven strategies, and area domination tactics. As crude stats and hard bargaining took over, Mamata Banerjee’s personal touch with the party leaders went missing and her grip over the public sentiment was lost.