Kolkata, Oct 30 (PTI) The arrest of former West Bengal minister and singer Indranil Sen has triggered differing reactions within the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC faction, with national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee alleging political vendetta, while MP Kalyan Banerjee has questioned Sen’s conduct during his years in power.
Party MLA Kunal Ghosh, meanwhile, has described the arrest as politically motivated and accused the state government of misusing the police administration.
Ghosh also questioned Sen’s silence on the issue, even as his own long-standing association with him has not translated into an unqualified defence of the former minister.
The differing responses have brought into focus the competing political equations within the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool faction, with the distance between the party’s traditional power centre at Kalighat and Abhishek’s Camac Street office again becoming a subject of political discussion.
Abhishek, defending Sen, accused the BJP government of targeting those who refuse to switch political allegiance.
“Under the BJP’s rule, those who fight without selling their conscience are the ones being sent to jail. Meanwhile, thieves and fraudsters are forgiven for even the gravest crimes as soon as they take up the BJP flag. This is the new India of Modiji,” he said.
Kunal also questioned the circumstances surrounding Sen’s arrest, alleging that the state government was selectively using the police against political opponents.
“What is more concerning is that Sen, even after his arrest or when he was summoned for questioning, never said that he is innocent. Reporters have tried to get a reaction from him, but he chose to remain silent. The question is why he is silent,” Ghosh said.
Kalyan, however, struck a different note on Sen’s political and administrative conduct, describing the allegations against the former minister as deeply distressing for long-time party workers.
“The allegations are truly painful for us. We have practised politics with honesty. I mean people like us and lakhs of Trinamool Congress workers. For them, this is deeply distressing,” the Sreerampore MP said.
Taking a swipe at those who, he alleged, had entered politics for personal gains, Kalyan said, “They did not come into politics to serve the people. They came to do business.”
He also claimed that Sen had stopped listening to other leaders during the final years of the previous government.
“Over the last five years, he would not listen to anything I said,” Kalyan said, adding that several developments involving Sen between 2021 and 2026 had hurt him.
The senior MP also argued that prolonged political power created conditions conducive to corruption.
“I believe no political party should remain in power for more than five to 10 years. Excessive power is the root cause of corruption,” he said.
Kalyan further remarked that several leaders who enjoyed the patronage of the party leadership had become heroes, while long-time party workers were left feeling sidelined.
“With Didi’s blessings, Bobby Hakim, Aroop Biswas and Sen have all become heroes. We have remained villains,” he said.
The contrasting remarks are particularly significant given the political history of the three leaders.
Kalyan represented Sreerampore while Sen was the MLA from neighbouring Chandannagar in Hooghly district. During his decade-long tenure as minister and MLA, Sen was often seen projecting himself as the state government’s representative in the district and allegedly invoking the authority of Nabanna while dealing with local leaders.
The Sreerampore MP’s remarks have revived allegations of Sen attempting to exercise control over Chandannagar’s iconic Jagadhatri Puja.
Members of the central puja committee have claimed that Sen had tried to assert his influence over the festival’s organisational affairs but faced collective resistance.
Kunal’s association with Sen goes back to the latter’s transition from the CPI(M) to the Trinamool Congress.
Ghosh had reportedly facilitated Sen’s entry into the Mamata camp by helping him secure singing opportunities on a television channel close to the party and subsequently arranging his participation in programmes organised by the state government.
However, party circles recalled that when Ghosh was arrested and jailed, Sen had maintained a low profile rather than publicly standing by him.
The latest controversy unfolds against the backdrop of an unprecedented organisational crisis within the Trinamool Congress following its Assembly poll defeat.
The party has split into three political formations, with 60 of its 80 MLAs rallying behind Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee’s Democratic Trinamool Congress (DTC), while Mamata continues to lead the Mamata All India Trinamool Congress (MAITC) faction.
The Election Commission has frozen the original All India Trinamool Congress’ name and its ‘Jora Ghash Phul’ symbol pending adjudication of rival claims, allotting the name Mamata All India Trinamool Congress to Mamata’s faction and Democratic Trinamool Congress to the Ritabrata-led camp for the bypolls.
The parliamentary crisis has been equally significant, with 20 of the 28 Trinamool MPs joining the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extending support to the BJP-led NDA at the Centre.
In this fractured political landscape, the differing responses to Sen’s arrest have acquired significance beyond the immediate controversy.
While Abhishek has framed the arrest as an instance of political vendetta and Kunal has questioned his silence, Kalyan’s remarks have brought the spotlight on questions of accountability, concentration of power and the conduct of leaders during the previous regime.
Sen’s arrest has thus brought into sharp focus not merely the question of political loyalty towards a former minister but also the unresolved tensions within the Mamata camp, where leaders belonging to the same faction are increasingly articulating different positions on the legacy of the previous government. PTI PNT MNB
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