Kolkata, Oct 26 Democratic Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday targeted the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction for an alleged attempt to loot a truck carrying its affidavits to the Election Commission in New Delhi, saying that “an attempt at organised loot by despots will not succeed”.
The two factions of the erstwhile ruling party of West Bengal have been entangled in a bitter feud over the control of its name and electoral symbol.
Ritabrata Banerjee said his faction had dispatched documents by road on October 24 to meet the deadline for submitting evidence to the poll panel, while the Mamata Banerjee camp had transported its affidavits on a chartered flight on Sunday evening.
He alleged that unidentified miscreants tried to take control of the truck and snatch the documents near the Haryana border in the early hours of Monday, but workers accompanying the consignment resisted the attempt.
In a post on X, he said, “Chartered Flight has carried Kalighat’s affidavits to Delhi on October 25 evening. Our affidavits are being transported to Delhi by road. Our workers have started with our documents on October 24 morning for depositing in ECI.
“Half an hour ago there were attempts to take control of the truck and snatch our documents. Our workers have resisted bravely. The fight is on. A fight between Chartered Culture versus Grass Root resolve. Despots will not succeed in their attempt at organised loot in every sphere,” he said in an early morning X post on Monday.
MLA Akhruzzaman, who is aligned with the Ritabarata Banerjee faction, said that the truck being targeted near the Haryana border raises suspicion that it had the backing of the Mamata Banerjee faction of the TMC, known as Kalighat camp in common parlance.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction’s Rajya Sabha MP Dola Sen dismissed the allegations, ridiculing the rebel camp’s claims and asserting that the people were the ultimate judge.
Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee also questioned the route the vehicle had allegedly taken.
“The Ritabrata-led outfit enjoys protection of the central police force. How can the truck be seized when it is protected by the CRPF jawans? Also, why would a truck travelling from Kolkata to Delhi take a Haryana detour?
“These are all drama hatched by the faction which enjoys the support of the BJP top brass. Their allegation is utterly baseless,” he said.
The exchange comes amid an intensifying battle between the rival factions of the party that split after the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections. The Ritabrata-led group has claimed majority support among the party’s elected legislators and is seeking recognition as the “original” Trinamool Congress.
The Election Commission has frozen the party’s name and symbol pending resolution of the competing claims, with the two factions operating under separate identities in the interim.
The Supreme Court, in its September 28 direction, asked both camps to submit affidavits to the poll panel within four weeks in support of their claims.
On Monday, the apex court granted 20 more days to both factions of the party to complete their pleadings before the EC. The poll panel is expected to examine the submissions before taking a final decision on the dispute.
The controversy over the affidavits has also triggered counter-allegations.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction has accused the state police and administration of helping the rival camp collect declarations in its favour, alleging that people were being coerced into signing affidavits on stamp papers.
It wrote to senior state police officials on October 14 and to the state’s chief secretary the following day, warning of legal action over the alleged irregularities.
Mamata Banerjee had accused the BJP of using money power and intimidation to influence party workers. She has alleged that police and administrative machinery were being deployed to obstruct her faction’s efforts to submit documents to the EC.
“Police atrocities have reached an extreme level. The EC has asked us to submit our documents, but the government is handing over legal papers, stamp papers and affidavits to the police so that all avenues are closed to us,” she alleged.
(PTI News)
