Mamata Banerjee targets expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, cites CPI-M expulsion
Synopsis
Mamata Banerjee publicly justified the expulsion of legislator Ritabrata Banerjee by pointing to his earlier ouster from CPI-M in 2017 — a rare move that lays bare the TMC's internal fractures. With a four-term Lok Sabha MP also resigning from party posts and a sit-in protest rerouted by police, Monday was a turbulent day for the ruling party in West Bengal.
Key Takeaways
Mamata Banerjee on Monday publicly defended the expulsion of legislator Ritabrata Banerjee from the Trinamool Congress via a live social media address.
She recalled that Ritabrata Banerjee was first expelled by the CPI-M in 2017 and was later twice rehabilitated by the TMC, including a nomination from Uluberia (Purba) .
Four-time Lok Sabha member Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has resigned from all organisational posts in the TMC; Mamata alleged she was upset over her son being denied an Assembly election ticket.
A planned TMC sit-in protest in Kolkata on Tuesday was shifted from Rani Rashmoni Avenue to the Y-channel after Kolkata Police denied permission for the original venue.
The protest is against the demolition of allegedly illegal structures and eviction of hawkers from railway land.
Trinamool Congress supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Monday launched a pointed attack on expelled Trinamool Congress legislator Ritabrata Banerjee — without naming him directly — invoking his earlier expulsion from the Communist Party of India (Marxist) in 2017 when he served as a CPI-M Rajya Sabha member. The remarks came via a live social media message from the Trinamool Congress chief.
What Mamata Said
'The CPI-M did the right thing by expelling him. After his expulsion from the CPI-M, he came to me and begged for rehabilitation. We felt pity and first nominated him to the Rajya Sabha again. This time we nominated him as the party candidate from Uluberia (Purba), denying the ticket to another leader. Now, after winning from there, he is betraying the party. So, we have expelled him and another party legislator,' Mamata Banerjee said.
The remarks confirm the formal expulsion of Ritabrata Banerjee from the Trinamool Congress (TMC), along with at least one other legislator. This marks a sharp rupture for a leader who had twice been rehabilitated by the party after falling out with his previous political home.
Attack on Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
Mamata Banerjee also turned her fire on four-time Lok Sabha member Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who had recently resigned from all organisational posts in the Trinamool Congress. Dr Dastidar had reportedly accused a fellow Lok Sabha member of insulting women MPs within the party.
'That MP is angry now because we did not fulfil her wish for the candidature of her son in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections. How can we give nominations to anyone just because his or her parents are elected public representatives? I have such a large family. Barring me and Abhishek Banerjee, no one else from our family is holding an elected public representative position,' the Chief Minister said.
The remarks signal that the TMC leadership is drawing a firm line against dynastic accommodation, even as critics note the party's own internal contradictions on that front.
Sit-In Venue Changed After Police Denial
Separately, the Trinamool Congress has shifted the venue of Mamata Banerjee's planned sit-in demonstration in Kolkata on Tuesday. The protest is being held against the demolition of allegedly illegal buildings and the eviction of hawkers said to be encroaching on railway land.
The party had originally selected Rani Rashmoni Avenue in central Kolkata as the site. However, after Kolkata Police declined to grant permission, the TMC shifted the programme — on police advice — to the nearby Y-channel, scheduled from 2 pm to 4 pm on Tuesday.
Background and Broader Context
The expulsion of Ritabrata Banerjee adds to a growing list of TMC legislators who have fallen out with the party leadership in recent months. His political trajectory — from CPI-M Rajya Sabha member to TMC-backed Rajya Sabha nominee to TMC MLA — makes his ouster particularly notable. The episode also underscores the TMC's increasingly centralised decision-making under Mamata Banerjee, where dissent is met with swift disciplinary action. Whether the expelled legislators seek political shelter elsewhere — or challenge their expulsions — will shape the next chapter of this internal churn.
Point of View
These exits suggest that the TMC's post-Assembly-election consolidation is generating more internal friction than the party's public posture admits. The venue change for Tuesday's sit-in — forced by a police denial in a city the TMC governs — is a minor but telling administrative awkwardness.
NationPress
5 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why was Ritabrata Banerjee expelled from the Trinamool Congress?
Ritabrata Banerjee was expelled from the Trinamool Congress for what the party described as betrayal after winning the Assembly seat from Uluberia (Purba) on a TMC ticket. Mamata Banerjee, in her social media address, noted he had already been expelled once before — by the CPI-M in 2017 — and had been given two chances by the TMC.
Who is Ritabrata Banerjee and what is his political background?
Ritabrata Banerjee is a West Bengal MLA who was previously a CPI-M Rajya Sabha member before being expelled by that party in 2017. He subsequently joined the Trinamool Congress, which nominated him to the Rajya Sabha and later fielded him as an Assembly candidate from Uluberia (Purba).
Why did Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar resign from TMC organisational posts?
Dr Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a four-time Lok Sabha member, resigned from all organisational posts in the Trinamool Congress after reportedly accusing a fellow party MP of insulting women legislators. Mamata Banerjee alleged the resignation was linked to the party's refusal to field Dr Dastidar's son as a candidate in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.
What is the TMC's sit-in protest in Kolkata about, and why was the venue changed?
The Trinamool Congress is staging a sit-in demonstration to protest the demolition of allegedly illegal buildings and the eviction of hawkers from railway land in Kolkata. The venue was shifted from Rani Rashmoni Avenue to the Y-channel after Kolkata Police declined to grant permission for the original location; the protest is scheduled from 2 pm to 4 pm on Tuesday.
What does the expulsion of Ritabrata Banerjee signal for West Bengal politics?
The expulsion signals the TMC leadership's zero-tolerance stance on post-election dissent and reinforces Mamata Banerjee's centralised grip on the party. Coming alongside the resignation of a senior Lok Sabha MP, it points to significant internal churn within the ruling party in West Bengal.
