Hill TMC on verge of splitting up

Even as the Trinamool Congress appears to be getting stronger in the hills, some developments within the party of late are pointing at an altogether different story.

During an organisational meeting held in town recently, some TMC youth activists had revolted openly, dissatisfied over the activities of some leaders. According to them, certain leaders have not been maintaining transparency in terms of party activities and taking decisions without taking other members into confidence. To add to the trouble, rumours are doing the rounds of the TMC likely to be divided into the hill TMC, the All India TMC and Bengal TMC.

Mohan Tamang, convener of the TMC’s ad-hoc organising committee, said party members are in a dilemma as to whether they should follow the hill TMC under youth president Bishal Chettri or under hill TMC convener Rajen Mukhia, who also claims to be a member of the state TMC. The committee has urged the senior TMC leadership to clarify the confusion, failing which the rank and file would be forced to resign.

Tamang added that Chettri has been hosting several organisational programmes and establishing TMC units in the hills without the consent of the hill TMC committee. The appointment of Kundan Mangrati, a resident of Kurseong, as the convener of the Kurseong sub-divisional committee without the consent of other party members has escalated the confusion further.

Even so, hill TMC general secretary Manoj Dewan and Bishal Chettri today stressed the hill TMC unit and the AITMC come under a single banner. All ongoing activities are to strengthen the organisational prowess of the TMC in the hills, they claimed, adding Mangrati has been accordingly given the responsibility of taking the party further forward. The duo also rubbished rumours about possible rifts within the party.(EOIC)