All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday, 4 August alleged that she has not received royalties on her books since the change of government in the state, and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of playing a role in the alleged withholding of those payments. The claims were made during a Facebook Live address — a format Banerjee has increasingly adopted in place of direct media interactions.

What Banerjee Alleged

Speaking directly to followers online, Banerjee said she relies on book royalties as her primary source of income, having reportedly declined her Chief Ministerial salary during her tenure and her Member of Parliament pension to date. “Some people spread all sorts of lies about me. They know that I had not taken a single penny as salary during my term as the Chief Minister. I have not taken a single penny as MP’s pension till date. I survive on the royalties on my books. But I have not received the royalties this year,” she said.

Banerjee alleged that publishers or distributors were withholding payments out of fear of the ruling dispensation. “People bought books written by me at the book fair. I have not received it (the royalties) till today. Surely there is a game behind it,” she added. She stopped short of naming any specific publisher or individual.

Curbs on Political Activity, Frozen Accounts

Beyond the royalty dispute, Banerjee alleged a broader pattern of political suppression under the new West Bengal government. She claimed her movement has been restricted and that the TMC is being denied permission to hold rallies and public programmes, while other parties face no such obstacles. “I am not being allowed to go out on the streets. I am not being allowed to hold political programmes. I have to go to court to get permission for rallies. Constitutional and democratic rights are being violated,” she said.

She further alleged that TMC bank accounts have been frozen, and that district councils and panchayats are being “taken over forcefully.” The party, she said, has never accepted overseas funds, making the account freezes — in her characterisation — politically motivated.

Banerjee’s Defiant Tone

Banerjee struck a combative note in closing, drawing on her decades in grassroots politics. “The more they will try to stop me, the more I will turn around. They must not forget that I have been doing student politics. I have been doing youth politics. I do not care about the chair; I care only about the people,” she said.

Notably, the former Chief Minister has largely stepped back from press conferences in recent weeks, using Facebook Live as her primary communication channel — a shift that observers see as an attempt to control her messaging directly amid a hostile political environment.

Context and Background

The TMC lost power in West Bengal following the most recent state assembly elections, ending Banerjee’s long tenure as Chief Minister. Since then, the party has repeatedly alleged targeted action by the new administration against its leaders, workers, and organisational infrastructure. The BJP has not publicly responded to the specific allegations made in Tuesday’s Facebook Live session. The royalty dispute, if substantiated, would mark an unusual form of alleged economic pressure on a former head of government. All of Banerjee’s claims remain unverified and are attributed solely to her own statements.