Senior Trinamool leader resigns during meeting at CM’s residence

Kanchan Mukherjee, a senior Trinamool leader of Burdwan, quit the party trading charges of corruption against some of his party colleagues in front of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at her residence on Saturday.

Angry over the increasing factional feud in Burdwan party unit, Mamata Banerjee had summoned important party functionaries at her residence. When party general secretary Mukul Roy was speaking on loopholes in the party in Burdwan, Mukherjee, assistant secretary of the district party unit stood up and accused some of his party colleagues of corruption. He also announced his resignation from the post at the same time, an insider in the Trinamool said. Speaking to The Sunday Express, Mukherjee said: "Roy was of the opinion that the party could not improve its position in Katwa because of factional feud. After he said this, I promptly announced my resignation from the post taking moral responsibility of the party's failure to expand its base in Katwa."

The Katwa sub-division is one among the few pockets in West Bengal where the Congress is still the dominating political party and Trinamool is struggling to get a foothold. Despite instructions from the party leadership, Trinamool's Katwa unit did not file nomination in election to managing committee of five schools held recently.

Later, Mukherjee had complained that some of his party colleagues have close contacts with Congress MLA Rabindranath Chatterjee and they were harming the party from inside. At a meeting on 10 February, Mukherjee traded similar allegation in front of district president Swapan Debnath and senior party leader Malay Ghatak. But his allegations were not probed.

Though Mukherjee did not say what was the reaction of Banerjee, when he revolted openly, sources said that she was very annoyed and warned all the leaders that no one will be spared if report of "groupism" comes.

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