TMC Power Struggle Deepens As Ex-Bengal Minister Seeks Freeze On Party Accounts

A two-page letter addressed to the manager of a private bank's Central Plaza branch in Kolkata surfaced on social media. PTI could not independently verify its authenticity.

The account at the centre of the dispute is understood to be one of the TMC's principal bank accounts.

Source : ABP LIVE

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Key points generated by AI, verified by newsroom

• Former treasurer Aroop Biswas sought bank freeze on TMC accounts.
• Biswas cited party leadership dispute and feared fund misuse.
• The principal account holds Rs 675 crore, crucial for control.

The internal battle within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) took a fresh turn on Thursday after Aroop Biswas, identifying himself as the party's treasurer, wrote to a private bank seeking restrictions on the operation of TMC accounts amid an escalating leadership dispute.

The move is being viewed as another setback for the camp led by former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, days after dissident MLAs and MPs challenged the authority of the party's central leadership following its defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections and claimed to be the legitimate TMC.

A two-page letter addressed to the manager of a private bank's Central Plaza branch in Kolkata surfaced on social media. PTI could not independently verify its authenticity.

The bank did not respond to queries, while calls and text messages sent to Biswas remained unanswered.

Request To Maintain Status Quo On Accounts

According to the June 12 letter, Biswas asked the bank to maintain status quo on the party's accounts and ensure that no debit transactions or changes in operational mandates were permitted until the dispute over the party's control was resolved.

The development is significant because Biswas was removed as treasurer during an organisational reshuffle announced by the Mamata Banerjee camp on June 5. Former MP Subhasish Chakraborty was appointed to the post.

However, in his communication to the bank, Biswas described himself as the party's treasurer, raising fresh questions over competing claims to organisational authority.

Concerns Over Control Of Party Funds

Sources in the dissident camp said the letter reflected concerns over who currently controls the party's assets and finances.

According to the communication, rival factions were claiming to be the legitimate representatives and office-bearers of the TMC, creating uncertainty over who was authorised to operate accounts maintained in the party's name.

Biswas also reportedly expressed concern that party funds could be used or appropriated by unauthorised individuals and warned that signed cheques could be misused during the ongoing dispute.

In one section of the letter, he is said to have noted that he had previously signed blank or pre-approved cheques for organisational convenience and feared they could now be misused in light of the leadership conflict.

Account Holds Around Rs 675 Crore

The account at the centre of the dispute is understood to be one of the TMC's principal bank accounts.

According to the party's audited submissions before the Election Commission, deposits in the account are estimated at around Rs 675 crore, making control of the funds a matter of major political and organisational importance.

Crisis Deepens After Electoral Defeat

The controversy comes amid the most serious crisis in the TMC's 28-year history following its defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.

The first major rupture emerged in the West Bengal Assembly, where 58 dissident TMC MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee broke away from the party leadership, secured recognition from the Speaker as the dominant legislative group and elected him as the Leader of the Opposition.

The rebellion later extended to Parliament, where 20 TMC MPs, including senior leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, distanced themselves from the party's central leadership and sought a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), claiming the support of more than two-thirds of the party's Lok Sabha members.

The twin revolts have triggered parallel legal and political battles over anti-defection provisions, legislative recognition, ownership of the party's political legacy and control over organisational resources.

Dissident Camp Backs Biswas's Move

TMC MLA Kanailal Agarwal, who is aligned with the dissident camp, defended Biswas's decision.

"Aroop Biswas, as the treasurer of the party, is well within his rights to write to the bank to freeze the accounts if he feels there may be attempts to misuse party funds," Agarwal told PTI.

Current Treasurer Denies Knowledge Of Letter

Subhasish Chakraborty, who was appointed treasurer by the Mamata Banerjee-led faction earlier this month, said he was unaware of the communication.

"I do not know anything about this. I am the treasurer of the state organisation. Aroop was the treasurer of the All India Trinamool Congress at the national level. But right now there is only one treasurer, and that's me," Chakraborty said.

When asked whether separate bank accounts existed for the state and national units, he replied: "There is only one account."

Battle Shifts To Organisational And Financial Control

Political observers said the dispute has moved beyond questions of legislative strength and entered the more sensitive arena of organisational control, finances and ownership of the party structure.

The episode has also fuelled speculation over Biswas's own political positioning. Considered a loyalist of Mamata Banerjee for decades, he was retained as a general secretary during the June 5 reshuffle despite being removed as treasurer.

Biswas has maintained a low profile following the recent arrest of his brother Swarup. Separately, police summons linked to the controversy surrounding Argentine football star Lionel Messi's visit to Kolkata in December last year had also generated political discussion.

The emergence of the bank letter has added a new dimension to the ongoing struggle within the TMC, indicating that the contest for control of the party may increasingly extend beyond political forums and into institutions that oversee its financial and organisational assets.