TMC's internal rift surfaces; Kunal Ghosh says Tapas Roy, Sajal Ghosh "forced to leave TMC"

Shortly after taking his oath as an MLA on Thursday, Kunal Ghosh sparked a major political storm by launching a scathing attack on his own party's leadership via social media. Ghosh explicitly alleged that veteran leaders like Tapas Roy and Sajal Ghosh were "forced" to leave the Trinamool Congress (TMC) due to internal pressures and a culture of nepotism. He accused certain unnamed senior leaders of prioritizing their own clans and "nepotism" over the dedication of skilled, long-term party workers, signaling a deep-seated rift within the organization.

Political observers have interpreted Ghosh's remarks as a direct, albeit unnamed, "cannon fire" against North Kolkata MP Sudip Banerjee. The friction between Ghosh and Banerjee has been a recurring theme since the Lok Sabha elections, particularly following Tapas Roy's departure to the BJP. Ghosh’s comments suggest a systematic effort within the North Kolkata leadership to corner experienced workers, further fueling the "old versus new" conflict that has periodically plagued the TMC's internal dynamics.  

The reaction from the opposition camp was swift and sharp. BJP MLA (and former TMC leader) Kunal Ghosh (sharing the same name) mocked the situation, questioning the MLA’s true intentions and suggesting his outbursts are either to "please someone" or "purify himself". Meanwhile, Tapas Roy, who now sits in the opposition, characterized the internal chaos as a symptom of a party divided between "Mamata Banerjee’s lobby" and "Abhishek Banerjee’s lobby". Roy dismissed the leadership as "dishonest and apolitical," suggesting the current state of the party is a result of these deep internal fissures.