Mamata's TMC files complaint against Ritabrata's TMC for July 21 venue

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) has officially splintered into a fierce war over its identity, symbol, and legacy, dividing the ruling political force into two distinct factions—the mainstream "Kalighat TMC" loyal to Mamata Banerjee and a rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The internal friction has reached a boiling point ahead of the historic July 21 Martyrs' Day rally, an annual flagship event traditionally held outside Victoria House in Kolkata. The Ritabrata faction has aggressively staked a claim to hold its own rally at the exact same venue, triggering a high-stakes political tug-of-war that has thrown West Bengal politics into immense turmoil.

In response to this direct challenge, the Mamata Banerjee camp has initiated severe legal proceedings against the dissident leaders. Representative members of the Kalighat TMC filed formal, written police complaints across two separate police stations targeting Ritabrata Banerjee, Sandipan, Javed, and Arup. The core criminal allegations include cheating, criminal conspiracy, and the dissemination of entirely baseless, fraudulent information. Crucially, the Kalighat leadership has accused the breakaway faction of illegally utilizing the official Trinamool Congress party name and its registered twin-flower logo without authorization.

The legal sweep has also targeted elected representatives, naming several Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) councilors who recently attended a clandestine strategy meeting organized by Ritabrata Banerjee in New Town. Defending the party's legal counter-offensive, TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh stated that no individual or breakaway group has the legal right to misappropriate Mamata Banerjee's pan-India party emblem to deceive the public. Ghosh emphasized that the police complaints were strictly filed under relevant statutory provisions to penalize those attempting to create mass confusion and illegally influence voters.