Mamata Banerjee (L), Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (C), Dr Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar (R)
KOLKATA: Amid the ongoing split in the Trinamool Congress (TMC), Dr Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, son of rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, has issued a legal notice to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and several party leaders. He has denied allegations that he sought a party ticket from the Barasat Assembly constituency.The leaders include Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy and former MLA Sonali Guha.According to the legal notice dated June 13 shared by ANI, Ghosh Dastidar stated that he “neither sought nor desired any nomination for the Barasat Assembly Constituency” and had “no political ambition in that regard”.The notice alleges that on various occasions, including media interviews and public statements, references were made suggesting that he had sought a political nomination from Barasat and that the alleged denial of such a nomination influenced his mother’s subsequent political position.Ghosh denied those assertions. The notice further states that representatives associated with political consultancy and organisational activities, including individuals linked to the Trinamool Congress, had approached him regarding the possibility of contesting elections from Barasat. It also claims that he was contacted on multiple occasions and encouraged to consider entering electoral politics.The notice states that during the relevant period, Ghosh was in Boston, Massachusetts, serving as an observer in the Department of Neuroimaging at Massachusetts General Hospital, and that his professional commitments abroad were inconsistent with suggestions that he was actively pursuing an Assembly nomination.It further refers to remarks allegedly made by Kalyan Banerjee in a television interview and statements attributed to Sonali Guha, which the notice describes as “false, defamatory and unsupported by any evidence whatsoever”.The notice calls upon the recipients to cease making or circulating statements concerning Ghosh in relation to political matters, withdraw and retract what it describes as false statements, and issue a public clarification and apology within 15 days acknowledging that he neither sought nor desired a political nomination from Barasat.In recent days, TMC leaders aligned with the party leadership have sharply criticised the rebel camp. Kalyan Banerjee accused the dissidents of betraying the party leadership and described them as “gaddar” and “desperate for power”. At a joint press conference, TMC MP Kirti Azad challenged the dissidents to resign and seek a fresh mandate if they intended to leave the party.Responding to criticism from the party leadership, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said: “Mera sar katega lekin jhukega nahi… Maine bohot seh liya.”The rebellion has triggered a wider political crisis within the party, with dissident MPs claiming support for a separate parliamentary grouping and party leaders questioning the strength and legitimacy of the breakaway faction.
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