TMC MP Mahua Moitra faces wrath of party MLAs, her removal from district top post sought

Kolkata: At least five of the seven TMC legislators within the Krishnanagar Lok Sabha constituency of party MP Mahua Moitra, and another MLA from an adjacent seat have written to Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee demanding the removal of the parliamentarian from the post of Nadia Uttar organisational district president.

The lawmakers allege that Moitra has, in a sustained manner, kept the Assembly representatives in the dark while undertaking party programmes in her area and indulged “anti-social elements” from the region that have dented the party's image, especially among the minority voters of the district.

A copy of the complaint – signatories to which are Kallol Khan from the Nakashipara assembly segment, Rukbanur Rahaman from Chapra, Nasiruddin Ahmed from Kaligunj, Ujjwal Biswas from Krishnanagar Dakshin and the recently released cash-for-job scam accused Manik Bhattacharya from Palashipara – was also forwarded to the TMC state president Subrata Bakshi urging disciplinary action against Moitra.

Karimpur MLA Bimalendu Sinha Roy also inked the complaint, although his assembly segment falls outside the Krishnanagar parliamentary seat boundary. The area, however, is part of the organisation district unit which Moitra heads.

Two MLAs from Moitra’s Lok Sabha segment, Tapas Saha from Tehatta and veteran politician Mukul Roy from Krishnanagar Uttar, have not signed the grievance letter, it was learnt.

“We did not approach Saha since he is currently under the CBI scanner for the school jobs scam and Roy’s position in the party is ambiguous since he is still formally a BJP MLA,” one of the aggrieved MLAs, requesting anonymity, told PTI while explaining the reasons for their absence from the signatory list.

The legislator alleged that, ever since she was re-elected as a parliamentarian in June, Moitra has been “ignoring” her MLAs while visiting their respective constituencies and “moving around with her own coterie of leaders”.

“Under the circumstances, it is becoming increasingly difficult for us to undertake party activities with her. She is disrupting party functions in the region and promoting factionalism,” the aggrieved leader said.

Banerjee had re-nominated Moitra from the Krishnanagar seat for the 2024general elections after the MP was unceremoniously expelled from the 16th Lok Sabha in December 2023 following a recommendation to that effect from the parliamentary ethics panel over cash for query allegations in the Adani Group dealings case.

Moitra won the seat by a margin of over 44,000 votes to return to the 17th Lok Sabha.

The MP, the disgruntled TMC leader alleged, recently reshuffled three block presidents of the TMC, 16 Anchal presidents and 116 booth presidents in her district “without taking the respective MLAs into confidence”.

“She is moving around with known anti-socials and indulging criminals and extortionists from the region. That has led to significant disillusionment among our supporters, especially those belonging to the minority community. Our party’s image has taken a severe beating on her account,” the leader claimed.

Some of the MLAs also accused Moitra of using her proximity to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee as a means of influencing the district administrative and police top brass into getting things done her way.

“Most of the local OCs in police stations do not receive my calls anymore,” an MLA stated.

An aggrieved leader alleged that the MP’s activities have already cost the party a significant number of votes in the region.

“Compared to the 2016 state poll results, we lost nearly 12 per cent votes in the Nadia Uttar organisation district in the assembly polls of 2021. It is a matter of great concern and we thought it would be prudent to let our supreme leader know what’s happening on the ground. We want the MP to be removed from her party position,” he said.

“Our supremo can replace her with any leader of her choice and we are okay with whatever decision she takes,” he added, while confirming that there has been no development on that front so far. Moitra, who is now in Delhi attending the Parliament’s winter session, refused to comment on the matter.

“I have no comment to offer on this district-level rubbish,” she said.