"I went to jail for Abhishek", says Anubrata Mondal after joining Ritabrata camp

Veteran TMC strongman Anubrata Mondal has officially joined the opposition Trinamool faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee. Attending his first formal meeting with the Ritabrata camp at Golpark on Wednesday, Mondal dropped a political bombshell by directly blaming TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee for his legal troubles. The senior leader, who spent nearly two and a half years in jail in connection with a high-profile cow smuggling case, explicitly stated that Abhishek was solely responsible for his imprisonment.

Mondal also raised serious allegations regarding revenue and financial mismanagement within the district under the previous regime. He claimed that while the government used to generate ₹3.5 crore in revenue from Birbhum, it later ended up paying ₹40 lakh a day for coal logistics. Making a grim forecast for his former party, the veteran leader predicted that the mainstream Trinamool Congress would soon disintegrate entirely, stating that no one would be left in the ruling camp in the coming days.

The defection marks the end of an era for the TMC in Birbhum, where Mondal had long served as the undisputed district president and successfully held off opposition forces for years. Although Mamata Banerjee kept his post intact while he was incarcerated, the party subsequently diluted his absolute authority by forming a core committee to manage Birbhum due to rising internal factionalism, reducing Mondal to a mere member. Following this growing sidelining and the party's dismal electoral performance in 2026, Mondal established contact with the rebel camp, which officially reappointed him as the Birbhum district president on July 11.