Mamata our mentor, Abhishek her lieutenant: TMC leaders at poll strategy meet

Ballygunge MLA Babul Supriyo, while addressing a gathering of TMC youth activists, said, “Our leader Mamata Banerjee will mentor and guide the party ... And our leader Abhishek Banerjee will continue to provide leadership the way he is doing."

Kolkata: Senior TMC leaders on Sunday reaffirmed that Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is the party's supremo and national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee is the lieutenant, as they urged the party's youth activists to prepare for the 2026 West Bengal assembly polls during a strategising session.

Addressing the meet of 'FAM (Fearless AITC Members) for TMC,' a key social media arm of the Trinamool Congress, senior leader and minister Babul Supriyo asked the gathering—mostly activists of the youth and students wing of the ruling party—"Who is your supremo—your supreme commander?" As the crowd roared back Mamata Banerjee, Supriyo continued, "And who is the lieutenant general implementing the supreme leader's vision?" The young audience again replied, "Abhishek Banerjee." "So you have given the reply. Our leader Mamata Banerjee will mentor and guide the party, mentoring us throughout. And our leader Abhishek Banerjee will continue to provide leadership the way he is doing," Supriyo said.

The Ballygunge MLA, who had crossed over from BJP to TMC after the 2021 assembly polls, later told reporters he was not trying to be diplomatic or walking any tightrope but was only reiterating the stated position of the party.

"Mamata Banerjee is our mentor, we follow her ideals. Abhishek Banerjee is our commander. That is what I too meant," Supriyo said.

TMC state IT cell chief Debangshu Bhattacharya said, "Mamata Banerjee lies in the blood veins of the TMC rank and file, including the youth. And Abhishek Banerjee has been instrumental in introducing the IT cell of TMC and its evolution to combat the conspiracies and toxic anti-Bengal campaign by BJP."

Another state minister, Snehasis Chakraborty, attending the meet at Gangulybagan area in Jadavpur, said, "The road map of FAM has been charted by Mamata Banerjee and laid out by Abhishek Banerjee." "FAM members, who are the most organised IT cell group, are here to strategise the party's social media campaigns in the upcoming polls," he added.

To announce the meeting, yellow flags had been put up by 'FAM for TMC' across different parts of South Kolkata over the past couple of days.

In addition to the flags, hoardings have been put up eulogising Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee in separate displays across various pockets in Jadavpur and Patuli.

The development comes days after Abhishek Banerjee led a party meeting for the first time in a while to discuss 'fake voters' in the state's electoral rolls.

Hundreds of FAM members, donning yellow T-shirts, assembled at the Kaltan community auditorium in the area.

A young member of FAM said, "Our forum had been set up in 2016 under the instruction of supremo Mamata Banerjee and spearheaded by Abhishek Banerjee. To counter BJP's sinister polarisation politics and conspiracy against the TMC government and the destabilisation attempt by the Left, FAM has been working all these years."