Trinamool Congress MLA Kunal Ghosh on Thursday, 14 May publicly stated that senior leaders Tapas Roy and Sajal Ghosh were effectively forced to leave the Trinamool Congress (TMC), and called for deep 'introspection' within the party following its electoral setbacks in West Bengal. The remarks, made shortly after Kunal Ghosh was sworn in as the Beleghata MLA in the West Bengal Assembly, have triggered fresh speculation about simmering internal divisions inside the TMC.

The Oath Ceremony That Sparked the Controversy

In a moment laden with political symbolism, it was Tapas Roy — now a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA from the Maniktala constituency — who, as Pro-tem Speaker, administered the oath to newly elected MLAs including Kunal Ghosh. Roy had won the recent Assembly elections on a BJP ticket, having officially joined the party ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. Similarly, Sajal Ghosh, another former TMC leader, won from the Barahnagar constituency on a BJP ticket.

The occasion was not lost on Kunal Ghosh, who reflected on the irony in a social media post that has since gone viral.

What Kunal Ghosh Said

In his post, Kunal Ghosh wrote: 'Pro-tem Speaker Tapas Roy administered the oath to me. A long-time elder brother and leader. We tried to keep him in Trinamool. Unfortunately, we couldn't. Later, despite political opposition, the party suspended me for personally speaking well of Tapas da. Incidentally, I am now taking the oath of office at the hands of Tapas da, who is an MLA of the Bharatiya Janata Party. How fortune changes.'

On Sajal Ghosh, he wrote: 'Sajal is also a councillor. Tapas da and Sajal Ghosh were forced to leave the party. I tried to keep both of them, but I failed. Now they are MLAs.' He added that 'because of those due to whom Tapas da, Sajal, and many others left the party, the party suffered losses, and even after that, the same kind of nepotism through WhatsApp cry politics is going on, which is very objectionable and worrying.'

The Internal Fault Lines: Sudip Bandopadhyay in the Crosshairs

While Kunal Ghosh did not name anyone directly, his remarks are widely understood to target Kolkata Uttar Member of Parliament Sudip Bandopadhyay and his wife Nayna Bandopadhyay, with whom Kunal Ghosh reportedly shares a bitter relationship. Kunal Ghosh has previously and repeatedly accused Sudip Bandopadhyay of bypassing party channels and directly 'appropriating' work to TMC chief Mamata Banerjee via WhatsApp — a practice he has labelled 'WhatsApp cry politics.'

The reference to 'nepotism' in Thursday's post is also seen as a veiled jab at the recent appointment of Nayna Bandopadhyay as deputy leader of the Trinamool Congress Legislative Party. Notably, while Kunal Ghosh publicly congratulated Leader of the Opposition Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Chief Whip Firhad Hakim, and leader Asima Patra on their appointments, he conspicuously omitted any mention of Nayna Bandopadhyay — a silence observers have interpreted as a 'silent protest.'

Background: A Pattern of Public Dissent

This is not the first time Kunal Ghosh has aired grievances against a section of his own party. When Tapas Roy moved toward the BJP, Kunal Ghosh personally visited Roy's residence and held a lengthy meeting alongside then state minister Bratya Basu in an attempt to persuade him to stay. The effort failed. Kunal Ghosh subsequently continued to speak favourably of Tapas Roy within the party, which reportedly led to disciplinary action against him — a fact he referenced in Thursday's post.

Kunal Ghosh also claimed that rank-and-file party workers are 'losing patience,' suggesting the discontent extends well beyond his own personal grievances. This internal conflict, though not new, has now surfaced at a particularly sensitive moment — the opening of a new Assembly session following electoral losses that the party has yet to fully account for publicly.

What Comes Next

The TMC leadership has not publicly responded to Kunal Ghosh's remarks as of Thursday. With the new Assembly in session and the party navigating post-election recalibration, how the leadership addresses — or ignores — this public dissent will be closely watched by both political observers and the party's own rank and file.