Anubrata Mandal stays at Birbhum TMC helm, 3 ‘observers’ appointed

KOLKATA: Trinamool chief and Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee on Friday deputed three party leaders from outside Birbhum to act as “observers” in the absence of district president Anubrata Mandal, making clear the latter, who is currently in Tihar Jail, would continue to be at the helm.
In a meeting called near her Kalighat residence to discuss the Birbhum organisation, Banerjee named Trinamool seniors Firhad Hakim and Moloy Ghatak as well as Pandaveswar MLA Narendranath Chakraborty as district observers. Chakraborty had defeated former Asansol Municipality chairman Jitendra Tiwari in the 2021 Bengal assembly polls.
The decision indicated that the “observer” post, which had been done away with when now BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari was in TMC, was making a comeback in the party.
Adivasi leader Biswabijay Mardi and TMC Yuva leader Sudipto Ghosh, husband of Bolpur Municipality chairperson Parna Ghosh, were included in the Birbhum core committee, whose strength was increased from seven to nine.
At the meeting, Bengal assembly deputy speaker Asish Banerjee gave vent to his grievance over what happened at Bogtui on the day of the Shahid Smaran programme, when the family of victim Banirul Sheikh closed the door on him.
The five-time Rampurhat MLA said he had feared something like this would take place, hinting at feuds within the party. Trinamool insiders said CM Banerjee took note of the complaint.
Kajal Sheikh, who is part of the Trinamool Birbhum core committee, came under fire from Banerjee for shooting his mouth off on occasion. Sheikh had been holding meetings in Bolpur and Kankalitala recently, leaving his home turf of Nanoor. “You don’t have to speak out. Better concentrate in Nanoor and give some time for Bogtui,” the TMC chief said.
According to party insiders, she cancelled all the changes Kajal had made in anchal organisations and reinstated the former presidents he had replaced soon after being included in the core committee. Banerjee specified that party veteran and Suri MLA Bikash Roy Chowdhury would brief the media on crucial matters of district organisation.
The Trinamool chief didn’t specify who would oversee the party organisations at Ausgram, Ketugram and Mangalkot — parts of East Burdwan that Mandal used to look into on a regular basis.
According to party insiders, Banerjee may assign East Burdwan leaders, especially Trinamool minister Siddiqullah Chowdhury, to nurse the organisation in these areas.
At the state-level meeting six days ago, the TMC chief had asked the minister to look after areas with a large presence of minorities.