Former West Bengal minister and ex-Trinamool Congress (TMC) treasurer Aroop Biswas has alleged that the party leadership conducted all financial transactions while keeping him completely uninformed, according to party leaders on Monday, 22 June. The claims emerged in a three-page response Biswas submitted to a show-cause notice issued after he wrote to a private bank requesting the freezing of three TMC accounts in Kolkata, triggering a major internal crisis within the party.

How the Crisis Unfolded

The controversy originated when Biswas, in his then-capacity as party treasurer, wrote to the Central Plaza branch of a private bank in Kolkata, requesting that transactions in three Trinamool Congress accounts be suspended. The letter came to light recently and caused an immediate uproar within the party.

The TMC had already announced an organisational reshuffle on 5 June, following the party's electoral defeat, in which former party MP Subhasish Chakraborty was named as the new treasurer replacing Biswas. However, Biswas's letter to the bank asserted that he was still the party's treasurer — a claim that directly contradicted the reshuffle announcement and set off the internal confrontation.

What Biswas Alleged in His Response

In his three-page reply to the show-cause notice, the former Tollygunge MLA made several pointed allegations about the party's internal financial operations. He stated that while he was formally listed as treasurer and was made to sign multiple cheques for various party needs, he was never informed about where the funds were actually deployed.

Biswas clarified that he has no clear information or documentary proof regarding who withdrew the money or where it was spent. He also alleged serious irregularities in certain transactions involving cheques that bore his signature. Despite the gravity of these claims, Biswas reportedly affirmed in the same letter that he remains a loyalist of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and has not defected.

The ₹534 Crore Fund at the Centre of the Dispute

According to party sources, approximately ₹534 crore is currently held across Trinamool Congress bank accounts. The dispute over these funds intensified after a rebel bloc of TMC MLAs emerged in the Assembly, led by Ritabrata Banerjee.

Sources said that fearing the rebel faction could assert legal claims over the funds, Mamata Banerjee allegedly instructed Biswas to temporarily transfer the entire amount to an account not belonging to the party. The rebel camp, upon learning of this, reportedly pressured Biswas to instead write to the bank and freeze the accounts — ostensibly to prevent the funds from being moved out of reach. Biswas's letter to the bank is now understood to have been sent in this context.

Police subsequently froze three TMC bank accounts containing approximately ₹440 crore, escalating the crisis further.

Party's Official Response

TMC MLA Kunal Ghosh responded to the developments by stating that the party has communicated with Biswas and characterised the matter as an internal issue. No further details of the party's position were made public.

The episode marks a significant stress test for the TMC at a time when the party is already navigating post-election reorganisation and an emerging internal rebellion — and with nearly half a billion rupees in contested funds, the dispute is unlikely to resolve quietly.