24 years since forming TMC, Mamata only grew stronger amid rebellions

Kolkata: TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, who recently quashed a brewing internal rebellion with the iron-fisted rejig of the party’s national working committee, established once again that she was the sole commander in her camp, and no one, including her heir-apparent Abhishek Banerjee, was fit to challenge her dominion.

In TMC’s 24-ye[par journey, the Bengal chief minister, who has earned herself the image of a gutsy leader, always made swift comebacks with greater ferocity as and when some leaders in her coterie revolted, and this time was no exception as she barely dithered to clip Abhishek’s wings amid the internal strife between old guard and fresh blood.

According to sources in the party, the recent power struggle that had roots in her backyard, with the increasing demand for a definite retirement age and the ‘one person-one post’ policy, was aimed at phasing out the old guard to make space for young leaders handpicked by Abhishek.