Kolkata: Following the removal of Kunal Ghosh from the post of Trinamool Congress state General Secretary on Wednesday, multiple theories are now surfacing on the internal equations in the party amid the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
The first revolves around the ‘old guard vs fresh blood’ discourse that has been a talking point within the ruling party for some time now.
Ghosh had been a staunch supporter of gradually replacing the ‘old guards’ with ‘fresh blood’, an idea floated by Trinamool General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
However, the idea, to a great extent, was negated by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee which was amplified by her old-time companions like Trinamool state President Subrata Bakshi, and state minister and Kolkata Mayor, Firhad Hakim.
On Wednesday, the ruling party removed Ghosh from the post of state General Secretary, hours after he showered praises on Tapas Roy, the BJP candidate from Kolkata Uttar Lok Sabha constituency, while sharing the stage with the BJP leader for a blood donation event. Ghosh’s name was also removed from the party’s star campaigners’ list on Thursday.
Following the developments, there is speculation that a deliberate attempt is being made to show serious ‘infighting’ in Trinamool Congress to make the opposition candidates, especially those from the BJP, including Roy, feel complacent.
While the second theory has few takers, Ghosh firing frequent salvos against the Trinamool over the multi-crore cash-for-school jobs case in the state can be a cause of concern for the party.
“Some of the masterminds behind the case are yet to be jailed. I personally feel that the Chief Minister was not briefed properly,” Ghosh said.
However, the opposition leaders are ridiculing the entire development.
Former state BJP President Dilip Ghosh said that such realisations at this stage are meaningless.
“If Ghosh thought that the Chief Minister was not briefed properly, he could have updated her. He could have briefed the central agencies like the CBI and the ED about the truth,” Dilip Ghosh said.
CPI-M Rajya Sabha member Bikas Ranjan Bhattacharya said that Kunal Ghosh’s claim that the Chief Minister was not briefed properly is not correct.
“Even in this situation, he is trying to protect the Chief Minister. His comments do not deserve any importance,” said Bhattacharya.
(IANS)
