TMC ‘rift’ is scripted by BJP, claims Adhir Chowdhury

Whatever drama is going on has been scripted by the BJP...

West Bengal Congress president Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday claimed that the ongoing "rift" between senior leaders and newcomers of the state's ruling Trinamool Congress was scripted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

He also alleged that in the coming days, the BJP could project TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee as the next chief minister of West Bengal.

Amid the celebration of the party's 27th foundation day on Monday, internal differences within the TMC surfaced as its senior leaders took a swipe at Abhishek Banerjee, which drew a sharp retort from its generation next leaders. ''Whatever drama is going on has been scripted by the BJP... Don't be surprised if someday the BJP starts projecting Abhishek as the next CM... This is the reason the ED and the CBI have gone silent against him,'' Chowdhury told reporters here.

He alleged that Abhishek, who is the nephew of West Bengal chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, suddenly became ''anti-Congress'' after he was grilled by the ED at its New Delhi office in 2021 for nearly nine hours.

The controversy in the TMC surfaced after Mamata Banerjee stressed the need for giving due respect to senior members of the party and denied the assertion that elderly leaders should retire from active politics.

Following this, Abhishek Banerjee, who is perceived as leading the youth brigade of the Trinamool Congress, spoke out for a retirement age in politics citing the decline in work efficiency and productivity with advancing years.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)