At one point leaders like Dinesh Trivedi and Sudip Bandyopadhyay were her trusted senior colleagues. Mamata Banerjee used to address both as elder-brothers – Dinesh Da and Sudip Da. But Dinesh Trivedi was asked to step down as Railway Minister in 2012 and he has now joined the BJP.
In her new scheme of things, party’s Lok Sabha MP, Mahua Moitra will be now leading the media interactions in Delhi “nearly on a daily basis”, a party source said.
It’s ultimately a mixed bag from Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata.
Only the other day, she abolished all office bearers ostensibly to show her Bhaipo, nephew. Abhishek the place; but has again reappointed him.
Abhishek Baneree, Diamond Harbour MP, has been reappointed as party’s general secretary but the aunt-nephew discord seems more apparent now as Farid Hakim, a blue-eyed boy of Didi, has been made the ‘working committee coordinator’.
Between Abhishek, one time powerful nephew and Hakim, also the Kolkata mayor; who has the greater say remains to be seen.
However, most analysts feel Firhad Hakim has been virtually promoted and given a more important role and will be expected as a link between the working committee and the ‘party boss’ Mamata.
But the Trinamool chairperson gave a broad message by making three national vice presidents -all veterans in their own ways – Yashwant Sinha, Subrata Bakshi and Chandrima Bhattacharya.
It is presumed and being analysed how Mamata Banerjee is now visibly upset with the rise of Abhishek and his chosen friend and poll strategist Prashant Kishor.
The Chief Minister has sidelined them obviously and seems to have reposed faith in her team of select few that includes the likes of Chandrima Bhattacharya.
Abhishek Banerjee and Prashant Kishor in the last few months had developed strong differences with the old guard – essentially comprising Farid Hakim, Partha Chatterjee and a few others.
Aroop Biswas and Ms Bhattacharya are generally seen as part of the party’s ‘old guard team’.
Biswas has been made the party treasurer while senior lawmaker Sukhendu Sekhar Ray was selected as the Rajya Sabha spokesperson and Kakoli Ghosh Dostidar will be party’s Lok Sabha spokesperson.
The wings of quiz master-turned-neta Derek O’ Brien have been apparently clipped as Sukhendu Sekhar Raywas made the spokesman for the party’s Rajya Sabha wing. Derek was generally taking the charge of interacting with the media lately.
Mamata Baneree always had a few colleagues in her inner circle and some of them did not survive in the same fashion for long.
While Mamata Banerjee rules her party often with her whims and fancies, she used to depend a lot in the past on leaders such as Mukul Roy. Even Suvendu Adhikari, now in BJP and Leader of Opposition, was her trusted lieutenant in terms of managing organisational wings and youths in particular.
