Rift Between TMC & I-PAC? Minister Says I-PAC Used Her Twitter Account Without Permission

The statement comes after West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused I-PAC of making posts using her social media handles without her knowledge.

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee (L), Poll Strategist Prashant Kishor (R). [File Photo: PTI]

New Delhi: In what appears to be an open rift with the Trinamool Congress (TMC), poll strategist Prashant Kishor’s I-PAC has said it doesn't handle any digital properties of the ruling party in West Bengal or any of its leaders and added anyone making such claim is either uninformed or is blatantly lying.

“I-PAC doesn't handle any digital properties of @AITCofficial or any of its leaders. Anyone making such claim is either uninformed or is blatantly lying. AITC should look into if and how their digital properties and/or that of their leaders are being “allegedly (mis)used,” I-PAC tweeted.

The statement comes after West Bengal minister Chandrima Bhattacharya accused I-PAC of making posts using her social media handles without her knowledge.

Bhattacharya made the allegation hours after her social media handles were used to endorse the TMC’s “#IsupportOnePersonOnePost” campaign.

“A Twitter account in my name was created by I-PAC before the election. Today it posted something about 'one person one post' without my knowledge. I strongly protest against it,” PTI quoted Bhattacharya as saying.

Amid signs of a revival in resentment within the TMC against I-PAC, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee has called a meeting on Saturday to discuss the matter.

The meeting also assumes significance as it comes amid reports of a rift between the TMC supremo and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee due to apparent differences between the party’s generation next leaders and a section of the old guard.

Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC general secretary, has been advocating ‘One Person One Post’ campaign run by the party’s youth leaders, which has not gone down well with a section of the old guard.

The TMC hired I-PAC to prepare its campaign and poll strategy for the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections.

The TMC after registering a massive victory in the polls decided to extend the contract until the 2026 assembly elections and assigned I-PAC to help the party expand its footprints in other states as well.