A section of TMC MLAs staged a sit-in near the Ambedkar statue on the assembly premises against “post-poll violence” and hawker eviction drives, marking the party’s first coordinated agitation after being pushed to the opposition benches following 15 years in power.
Among those present were Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Nayana Banerjee, Kunal Ghosh and Ritabrata Banerjee.
However, of the 80 MLAs, only 35 turned up at the programme, leading to speculation in political circles over possible fault lines within the organisation at a time when the party is struggling to regroup after its electoral setback.
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Senior TMC MLA Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, who is also the party’s choice for the post of Leader of the Opposition, dismissed suggestions of internal discord and attributed the absence to logistical constraints and organisational responsibilities.
“Around 35 MLAs were present at the programme today. As the legislators are busy with workers in many post-poll violence-affected areas, many couldn’t come. And then the programme was held at a day’s notice, so it was a problem for MLAs who stay in far-flung areas to turn up,” he told PTI.The optics, however, assumed significance because the protest came barely a day after a key meeting at Kalighat where, according to party sources, several legislators had argued that the TMC could not revive itself through strategy sessions alone and needed to reconnect with people through on-ground mobilisation.
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Party sources said that at Tuesday’s meeting attended by party supremo Mamata Banerjee and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, some MLAs voiced concern over the party leadership’s perceived absence from street agitation following the poll defeat.
Several legislators reportedly conveyed that “holding meetings inside closed rooms” would not help a party seeking to recover lost political ground.
The discussions at Kalighat had also reflected a larger concern within sections of the party over the leadership’s post-poll political approach, sources said.
Against that backdrop, Wednesday’s protest carried symbolism beyond the issue of post-poll violence and anti-encroachment drives.
For a party whose political identity was forged through agitations — from Singur and Nandigram to prolonged anti-Left street campaigns — returning to the streets has historically been central to its politics.
The TMC legislators organised a sit-in at the B R Ambedkar statue in the Assembly over eviction, use of bulldozers to demolish buildings, and alleged post-poll violence.
Political observers said the relatively thin attendance at the first major protest by TMC legislators after the change of guard has inevitably raised questions over how effectively the party can transition from a long-entrenched ruling force into an opposition outfit.
The issue may not be the number alone, they said, but the message such optics send at a time when the party is attempting to rebuild its organisational confidence after an unprecedented setback.
