NEW DELHI: Has the “fake signature” controversy pushed Mamata Banerjee‘s TMC to the brink of an internal crisis? A complaint lodged at assembly secretariat by two TMC MLAs, Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee, has not only embarrassed the party leadership but also put it in a difficult spot.The state Criminal Investigation Department (CID) has summoned Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew and the party’s No. 2 leader, for questioning. It has already recorded statements of several MLAs as part of its probe into the forgery allegations.What began as a dispute over signatures has now exposed the deep divisions within the party at a time when it is still coming to terms with its worst electoral setback in over a decade.
How the signature row unfolded
The signature row exploded into the open after Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari during a press conference claimed that two TMC legislators had filed complaints in connection with their “fake” signatures on a party resolution submitted in the state assembly endorsing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of opposition.On May 9, Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the assembly speaker proposing senior party leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay’s name as the leader of opposition.
How the ‘fake signature’ row unfolded
According to Adhikari, the assembly’s principal secretary, acting on the speaker’s directions, wrote to Abhishek on May 18 seeking the minutes of the resolution through which Chattopadhyay had been selected.On May 20, Abhishek submitted a copy of the resolution carrying the signatures of 70 TMC MLAs. Adhikari alleged that more than 10 names on the document were written in block letters and asserted that signatures “cannot be block letters”.Subsequently TMC MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha complained to the speaker alleging that “no resolution was adopted regarding the selection of the leader of opposition on May 6.”According to Adhikari, the complaint further alleged that the resolution dated May 6 was “manufactured and fabricated” and pointed to 14 signatures written in block letters.“On the direction of the Speaker, the principal secretary filed an FIR at Hare Street police station, and on the direction of the home secretary, with my approval as the state home minister, the investigation was handed over to the CID,” Adhikari said.As part of the probe, the CID has questioned 13 TMC MLAs in the presence of handwriting experts and carried out signature verification through videography and photography.Adhikari said three of the legislators questioned, Arup Roy, Baharul Islam and Subhasish Das, told investigators that the signatures attributed to them were not theirs.
‘Signgate’ leaves Trinamool in disarray
Minutes after Adhikari’s press conference, the TMC expelled Ritabrata Banerjee, the MLA from Uluberia Purba, and Sandipan Saha, the MLA from Entally, for alleged anti-party activities.“It has been brought to the notice of the All India Trinamool Congress through its competent authority that, despite having been elected as a candidate nominated by the AITC, you have repeatedly failed to attend meetings convened by the authorised leadership of the party and have made yourself involved in anti-party activities,” a communication issued to the two MLAs said.“It has also been observed that you have engaged in activities and made statements that are prejudicial to the interests of AITC,” the communication, signed by party vice-president Chandrima Bhattacharya, added.The Trinamool defended its action. TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh said that by bypassing the party leadership and approaching the assembly speaker directly, the two MLAs had “betrayed” the mandate received in the name of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.Interestingly, Ghosh also “thanked” Adhikari for publicly naming the MLAs who had complained to the speaker, saying it vindicated the party’s decision.“The workers will judge. The leadership will rebuild the party. Could we not have waited just a little?” he asked.Ghosh maintained that legislators with grievances over the alleged “fake signature” controversy should have first raised the matter within the party instead of writing directly to the speaker.
Will TMC split?
The signature controversy has brought to fore the deep divisions within the Trinamool Congress. Already, there are parallels of Trinamool going the Shiv Sena way, which split vertically as a majority of Sena MLAs rebelled against their leader Uddhav Thackeray.The allegations that have kicked up a storm within the TMC have not been raised by its rivals. Two sitting party MLAs decided to bypass the party leadership and approach the assembly speaker directly, raising questions about the level of discontent within sections of the organisation.
According to Adhikari, the complaint alleged that the resolution dated May 6 was “manufactured and fabricated”.
Both expelled MLAs have expressed no regret over their actions. Saha said he had acted against an illegal act within the party, while Ritabrata said “someone had to do it”. He also claimed that TMC legislators were pressured to publicly endorse Abhishek Banerjee’s handling of the election campaign, a move that he said had caused unease among several MLAs.It is evident that there is pent-up resentment against the leadership, especially Abhishek Banerjee, who wields immense clout in the party. TMC alleges that the rebels are being used to poach MLAs and weaken the party.TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh claimed that Ritabrata Banerjee had met over 20 TMC MLAs at a New Town hotel, an allegation denied by the expelled legislator.Senior TMC leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay alleged that attempts were being made by the ruling dispensation to engineer defections and destabilise the opposition party, while insisting that the Trinamool Congress remained united.
Mamata’s next big challenge: Keeping the flock together
The controversy comes at a time when Mamata Banerjee is already grappling with the aftershocks of TMC’s worst electoral setback since coming to power in 2011. She has lost her government, and is now fighting hard to ensure she does not lose her relevance. Since the assembly election debacle, internal conflicts within the TMC have come to the fore. The “fake signature” row has only added to her challenges as she attempts to regroup her party in opposition.In her first reaction to the fake signature row, Mamata accused the BJP of playing a “dirty game” and said that forensic tests of TMC MLAs’ signatures should be done if assembly speaker is not sure about their authenticity.
How Mamata Banerjee reacted amid the turmoil
Mamata’s immediate challenge is to keep her flock together amid large-scale arrests of TMC leaders on charges of corruption, intimidation and extortion, and the alleged torture of party workers. Addressing TMC supporters at a day-long dharna in central Kolkata to protest against alleged post-poll attacks on party workers and leaders, Banerjee asserted that she would not abandon TMC workers in “these difficult times.“But the crisis is the other way round. The Trinamool chief needs to ensure that party workers and leaders don’t abandon her. Reports suggested that at least three elected MLAs openly confronted the leadership at a post-election review meeting, blaming the “brutal imposition” of Abhishek Banerjee’s choices for the electoral debacle. Among the critics reportedly were the two expelled MLAs.The election defeat was followed by a series of resignations and exits marked by resentment against the so-called “aunt-nephew duopoly”. More than 100 TMC councillors across multiple civic bodies stepped down, while a number of leaders publicly aired their grievances with the organisation. Among the high-profile exits were Assam TMC chief Abhijit Majumdar and MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who resigned from party positions citing various concerns. There is speculation about more resignations. Also there are speculations that 50 MLAs are reportedly preparing to submit signatures against party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee to the speaker of the legislative assembly. Mamata has reasons to be worried about internal cohesion within the party. If this actually happens, we could see rerun of Maharashtra, where both Shiv Sena and the NCP were split down the middle after a majority of their MLAs revolted against the leadership. Last week, Mamata thad to call off a meeting with her legislators after only around 20 of the party’s 80 MLAs reportedly turned up.Mamata Banerjee, who has been in an overdrive to revive the INDIA bloc since her defeat in Bengal, realises that her party’s internal turmoil may undermine her credibility in the opposition alliance. Also, her calls for opposition unity may appear less persuasive when her own organisation is facing internal discord.For Mamata Banerjee, the challenge now extends beyond dealing with the fallout of the signature controversy. As the TMC adjusts to life in opposition after 15 years in power, Mamata and Abhishek will have to find a way to wriggle out of this crisis soon.
