Kolkata: Her party is facing an existential crisis after the BJP ended Trinamool Congress’ (TMC) 15-year rule in West Bengal with a resounding victory in the recent Assembly election.
But TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is not in a mood to give up.
On Tuesday, the former chief minister returned to her ‘streetfighter’ avatar in her first major protest since losing the election.
No more than 6 out of the party’s 80 MLAs were present at the dharna in central Kolkata to protest against alleged post-poll attacks on party workers and leaders, including MPs Abhishek Banerjee and Kalyan Banerjee, yet Mamata sounded defiant.
“Ladenge ya marenge (I will fight or die). I will not die until I remove all of you from power,” Mamata roared, taking potshots at the BJP.
Reiterating her claim that TMC national general secretary Abhishek, who happens to be her nephew, could have been killed by agitators during his visit to Sonarpur on Saturday, Mamata alleged that the BJP is trying to break her party.
“This misrule, this atrocity, the way they have looted the election, and now our MLAs and councillors are being threatened by the police. They are now attempting to break TMC,” Mamata said.
Not more than 20 elected MLAs attended a meeting called by the former CM two days ago, fuelling speculation about a rival TMC faction being formed under Ritabrata Banerjee, one of two MLAs being expelled for anti-party activities.
Ritabrata complained to the Assembly speaker that signatures of several TMC MLAs were forged in a letter endorsing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition.
More than 100 councillors have ditched TMC, and several MPs have quit key party posts expressing dissatisfaction with the leadership, especially Abhishek.
Attacking the BJP government, Mamata said her party was not allowed to fix even a microphone. “We were not allowed to erect a stage. TMC is not being allowed to do our political activity.”
Having been denied by Kolkata Police to hold the protest at Rani Rashmoni Avenue, TMC shifted the protest venue to Esplanade’s Y-channel.
The firebrand TMC chief tore into her once-trusted aide Suvendu Adhikari, alleging that the recent eviction of hawkers and “bulldozer raj” will only push the state into darkness.
“Modi ji has left Bengal in the hands of anti-socials, bulldozer-happy politicians, pushing the state into darkness. The homes of poor people in Bengal have been demolished,” Mamata said.
Mamata ended her speech with a promise to continue the agitation.
“The dharna will continue,” she announced in a bid to lift spirits of the sparse audience.
