Kolkata (West Bengal) [India] July 17 : Former Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Madan Mitra dismissed allegations that his decision to join the party's rebel faction was not driven by the fear of central agencies, asserting that the Enforcement Directorate (ED) played no role in his political shift.
Speaking to ANI on his exit from the party, Mitra clarified that he faced no intimidation from central investigators.
"The ED didn't scare us. They didn't call or threaten us... Why mix politics with the ED? My decision was purely based on the political landscape," he said.
Mitra expressed his disillusionment with the current functioning of the TMC leadership at Kalighat, suggesting that the party's existing strategy is insufficient to combat the BJP in the state.
"I felt that to defeat the BJP, we needed to put in more effort than the way the Trinamool was operating from Kalighat. I wanted to support this new, assertive Trinamool... She chased me away. So I left too," Mitra stated, in an apparent reference to TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee.
Mitra also lauded the strength of the Chief Minister, Suvendu Adhikari. Despite being on the opposite side of the aisle, Mitra acknowledged Adhikari's political prowess.
"There is no doubt that considering Suvendu Adhikari's strength and vigor at his age, it would be very difficult to find a leader across the country capable of taking him on," Mitra added.
On Wednesday, Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Madan Mitra joined hands with the Ritabrata Banerjee-led rebel faction, blaming General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee for his exit. Following the addition of another to the dissidents' group, former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said that she can "restart" the party if needed.
In a fresh blow to Mamata Banerjee, Madan Mitra, who was inducted into the party's state committee as General Secretary, resigned from the TMC and joined the rebel faction.
He told ANI that he resigned from Mamata Banerjee's TMC as he was unable to work effectively. He said that his concerns went unaddressed by the party leadership.
"I resigned because I was no longer able to work effectively within Mamata Banerjee's TMC. I have stepped down from all the committees I was part of. More and more of Mamata Banerjee's long-time associates are leaving the party because, in my view, the leadership is focused on promoting Abhishek Banerjee rather than strengthening the organisation. TMC is not one person's party," Mitra said.
"I raised these concerns with Mamata Banerjee on several occasions, but they were not addressed. In my view, Abhishek Banerjee wants decisions to be made solely on his terms and does not allow others to play a meaningful role. As a result, I believe the party's position is weakening," he added.
Hitting back, former CM Mamata Banerjee said that she has no issues in restarting the party like in 2006, and said, "Today we have 18 MPs. Yes, some are being threatening. Even today, one man left the party. He told me yesterday that his family is being threatened. I will say, those who want to leave, please do. If I can restart (the party) in 2006, I can do it in 2026."