West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee rejected claims of control by rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders who seized the party headquarters in Kolkata.
The confrontation signals a deepening fracture within the TMC, as a faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee openly challenges the leadership of the state's most powerful political figure.
Rebel leaders took control of the party headquarters on July 3 [2]. The faction put up posters that omitted Mamata Banerjee, signaling a move to erase her image and authority from the party's primary administrative hub. Ritabrata Banerjee said, "We have taken control of the party headquarters" [2].
Banerjee responded publicly on July 4 [3]. She dismissed the rebels' claims and labeled them traitors. To counter the seizure of the building, she said that the lease for the party office remains valid until 2027 [1].
Banerjee vowed to fight the takeover in court. She suggested that if the office remained unavailable, her personal residence could serve as the party headquarters. In a stark challenge to her opponents, Banerjee said, "If you want to kill me, go ahead" [3].
The internal rift has escalated from political disagreement to a physical struggle over assets. The rebel faction's actions represent an attempt to delegitimize Banerjee's role as the Bengal TMC chief during a period of intense party instability [4].
“"We have taken control of the party headquarters."”
The seizure of the TMC headquarters is an unprecedented escalation of internal dissent in West Bengal. By challenging the physical and legal control of party assets, the rebel faction is attempting to create a parallel power structure. Banerjee's reliance on the 2027 lease agreement indicates that the resolution of this power struggle may now depend as much on legal property rights as on political loyalty.
