In a major political development, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Thursday inducted former Maoist leader Chhatradhar Mahato to the State committee of the party, a move that raised eyebrows in political circles. The induction of Mr. Mahato, who was in prison for the past 11 years, came in on a reshuffle of the TMC with an eye on the 2021 Assembly polls. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won all the seats in the State’s Jangalmahal region in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.
Chhattadhar Mahato was the convener of the People’s Committee Against Police Atrocities (PCPA), which the police had claimed was a frontal organisation of the banned Communist Party of India (Maoist). Mr. Mahato played a crucial role in the siege of Lalgarh by the Communist Party of India-Maoist (CPI-Maoist) during the rule of the Left Front government. He was arrested by the police in September 2009 was charged under several sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). He was released from prison in February 2019.
“It was my dream to work under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. I will try to restore the pride of the party that has taken a beating in Jangalmahal [the forested region of southwest Bengal],” Mr. Mahato told a Bengali news channel.
Younger faces
The reshuffle in Trinamool Congress is clearly aimed at strengthening the party for the 2021 Assembly polls and curtail factionalism. Younger leaders like former cricketer Laxmi Ratan Shukla and MP Mahua Moitra have been given charge of key districts like Howrah and Nadia. Several district presidents have been removed and Ms. Banerjee set up a seven member core committee of the party. A new State committee with 21 members has also been formed. Former Communist Party of India (Marxist) MP Ritabrata Banerjee, who was expelled from the party, has also been accommodated in the reshuffled TMC.