TMC MP hits Prashant Kishor in the middle of a rift; “A political party cannot be led by an entrepreneur”

Amid rumors of a rift between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC), TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has hit out at founder Prashant Kishor saying that a “political party should not be led by an entrepreneur”. Questioning the nomination of the members of the city council, Kalyan Banerjee revealed that despite being an MP, he was not consulted on the nomination.

The TMC MP said: “A political party should be operated as a political party and not by an entrepreneur. He added: “I was an MP for the region but I was never consulted on the appointment of the municipal corporation board. But I-PAC has appointed several people to the board. Now, I have a hard time explaining that to people.”

Tense ties between I-PAC and TMC

The jibe comes days after Kishor’s rumored fallout with West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee. The Trinamool Congress had signed a contract with Kishor and his I-PAC to prepare its campaign and polling strategy for the West Bengal Assembly elections in 2021, which it extended to 2026, after its victory overwhelming. Kishor was responsible for birthing the “Duare Sarkar” (Government at the Gate) program and the slogan “Bangla Nijer Meyekei Chaye” (Bengal wants her daughter). However, on February 11, I-PAC briefly dropped Mamata Banerjee and the TMC on Twitter amid alleged party infighting.

Disagreements have reportedly erupted in the Trinamool Congress over the candidates for the upcoming elections in 108 municipal bodies. After the release of the party’s official list of candidates signed by TMC General Secretary Partha Chatterjee and party chairman Subrata Bakshi, another unsigned list of candidates was shared on the party’s official social media account. I-PAC was held responsible for the gaffe. After protests broke out, Mamata Banerjee was forced to intervene and announce that the list published by Chatterjee and Bakshi was final.

Notably, the rift has now taken on a new dimension after the party’s Goa Unit leader, Kiran Kandolkar, publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with Prashant Kishor on Tuesday. Speaking to the media, he claimed that I-PAC had abandoned the TMC candidates after the elections which took place on February 14.