Kunal Ghosh Stripped of TMC Star Campaigner Status Post Removal as State General Secretary

A day after he was removed as the state general secretary of Trinamool Congress, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh was on Friday excluded from the list of star campaigners of the party. Despite the ups and downs, Ghosh has remained active within the TMC, serving as a spokesperson since July 2020 and being appointed as the partys state general secretary in June 2021.

A day after he was removed as the state general secretary of Trinamool Congress, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh was on Friday excluded from the list of star campaigners of the party. Despite this, Ghosh expressed his willingness to continue working for the party as a grassroots worker. He had been stripped of his position after sharing a platform with TMC turncoat and BJP Kolkata Uttar candidate Tapas Roy at a blood donation camp on Wednesday, which drew criticism from the TMC leadership. While the TMC had issued a statement informing about its decision to remove Ghosh as state general secretary, the party on Thursday issued a fresh list of 'star campaigners' which retained names of party heavyweights Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and 38 other leaders including new entrants like Ritabrata Banerjee, minister Birbaha Hansda and candidate Saayoni Ghosh only leaving out Ghosh.

Although the party did not provide a reason for his removal, Ghosh remained resolute, affirming his commitment to campaign for the party across Bengal. ''No problem, I will love to be on the road, working for the party on field,'' he told reporters. Despite the setback, Ghosh remained vocal about the need to oppose Modi. Ghosh also urged upon the electorate to elect the TMC in all the 42 seats from the state, including in Kolkata Uttar where Sudip Bandyopadhyay is the TMC candidate.

Ghosh had spoken against Bandyopadhy's candidature several times in past and claimed the veteran politician had not done anything for the seat in the past five years.

''If the leader of the opposition in assembly Suvendu Adhikari can crisscross the state in such scorching heat and campaign for his party candidates, why can't our leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay step outside Kolkata Uttar and campaign?'' Ghosh questioned.

While Ghosh's actions were questioned, some party members, including TMC Rajya Sabha spokesperson Santanu Sen and West Bengal minister Bratya Basu, acknowledged his past contributions to the party. ''We cannot forget how he steadfastly fought against BJP's sinister campaign in recent times. I think this factor should also be kept in mind though there is a thing called party discipline,'' Sen said. ''Kunal Ghosh has been expressing views that don't align with the party. Mr Ghosh was previously relieved from his role as party spokesperson. Now he has been removed from the position of general secretary of the state organization,'' the TMC said in a statement on May 1.

Ghosh's journey within the TMC has been marked by challenges, including his arrest in connection with the Saradha Chit fund scam in 2013, which led to his suspension from the party. Despite the ups and downs, Ghosh has remained active within the TMC, serving as a spokesperson since July 2020 and being appointed as the party's state general secretary in June 2021.

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