Kolkata, July 15 -- Senior Trinamool Congress MLA Madan Mitra on Wednesday joined the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction after resigning from all organisational posts in the Mamata Banerjee camp. His switch came a day after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) summoned his wife and two sons in connection with the municipal recruitment scam.

BJP MLA and state cabinet minister leader Dilip Ghosh, however, took a swipe at Madan over his defection. Referring to the ED summons issued to his family, he said: "He should first meet the ED officers. Sandeepan Saha (Ritabrata-camp MLA) will not be able to save him. If the ED gives him a clean chit, then there may be some hope."

Announcing his decision from the office of rebel faction leader Ritabrata Banerjee in the Assembly, the Kamarhati MLA Mitra insisted he had not left the Trinamool Congress but had merely moved "from one room to another". "I was in Trinamool and I remain in Trinamool," he said.

Madan thanked Mamata Banerjee for standing by him over the years and revealed that he had sent her a message saying "sorry" before changing camps. He also confirmed that he would attend the Ritabrata faction's July 21 programme.

Launching a sharp attack on Abhishek Banerjee, Madan alleged that his style of functioning had forced him out of the party. "AB is more frightening than the ED. I always feared being thrown out. Even Mamata's words are not heard by him," he said. He claimed the party had become authoritarian and that the BJP could not be defeated under Abhishek's leadership. Rejecting suggestions that the ED probe prompted his decision, Madan maintained that Abhishek was the primary reason behind his exit and challenged anyone to prove he had taken money to provide jobs.

Mamata Banerjee dismissed Madan's criticism of Abhishek, saying, "Abhishek is just an excuse." She alleged that central agencies were being used to coerce leaders into switching sides. "Families are being served ED notices. The leader who left today had already told me his family had received ED summons. I understood what was coming and removed him from all the posts," she said.

"Those who want to leave may leave. If we could start from scratch in 1997-98, we have the strength to do it again in 2026," she added.

TMC MP Mahua Moitra alleged that the defections reflected continued attempts to weaken Mamata Banerjee through fear and intimidation, while MLA Kunal Ghosh claimed the rival camp was relying on ED pressure rather than political strength to attract leaders. He also noted that Madan had criticised the rebel faction only days ago, suggesting his switch was driven by compulsion rather than conviction.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.