Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee accused functionaries within her party of “sabotage” in the recent assembly elections and announced multiple probes Wednesday, striking a defiant note as TMC grappled with a crushing defeat to BJP after 15 years in office. Seventy-one of 80 newly elected MLAs attended a meeting at her Kalighat residence in south Kolkata, where she warned that dissent against the party or its brass would invite action. “Some of our own people have sabotaged us. We will examine all such allegations,” a TMC senior quoted her as saying. A disciplinary committee comprising TMC seniors Derek O’Brien, Firhad Hakim, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Asima Patra will probe complaints, alongside three fact-finding teams to visit unrest-hit districts. Banerjee hardened her stand on the poll outcome. “We respect people’s mandate. But I will not resign. This is our way of protest against the election process… Let them dismiss me. I want this to be a black day,” she said, asking MLAs to wear black on the first day of the assembly. The party moved to rein in mixed messaging after some MPs posted on X acknowledging the verdict. Actor-MP Dev congratulated BJP, calling it the “people’s mandate”, while Shatrughan Sinha questioned the EC’s role. The party clarified that such remarks were personal views. Banerjee said the election was “rigged” and said TMC had “substantial evidence” to challenge the result in court, “including international forums, if required”. She also referred to abuse at a counting centre on result day. She cited narrow margins to buttress her claim. “The vote-share difference is only 30 lakh. It’s almost the same number they deleted under (SIR) adjudication and discrepancies. On top of that, 7 lakh names were added online,” she said. The meeting was attended by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and state president Subrata Bakshi. MLAs were asked to give Abhishek a standing ovation for his campaign role. Banerjee also indicated she may resume legal practice, with senior politicians expected to follow. Several MLAs skipped the meeting after informing the party, many citing efforts to control post-poll violence in their constituencies. Some MLAs from north Bengal were asked to stay back. Banerjee accused rivals of vandalising a Lenin statue in Murshidabad and damaging “1,500 TMC offices” statewide. “We never vandalised Lenin’s statue. But they did. Stay on the ground and help people.” She urged functionaries to mark Rabindra Jayanti on May 9 with cultural programmes — the day the new CM is set to take oath.
