Trinamool Congress expels eight senior leaders amid escalating party split.
Rebel TMC faction forms parallel leadership and 30-member committee.
Internal crisis marks one of Trinamool Congress’s biggest organisational ruptures.
The Trinamool Congress expelled eight senior leaders, including several prominent figures, after a rebel faction within the party announced the formation of a parallel leadership structure — deepening what is now an open organisational split in one of India's most powerful regional parties.
Those expelled include former ministers Javed Ahmed Khan, Firhad Hakim, Arup Roy, Rathin Ghosh, Biplab Mitra, Sabina Yasmin, Aroop Biswas and Snehasis Chakraborty. The party had earlier in the day issued show-cause notices to the same leaders, alleging they had deliberately engaged in anti-party activities.
The expulsions follow a significant escalation on Monday, when a rebel faction led by West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee announced the constitution of a new All India Trinamool Congress Committee, appointing Arup Roy as its chairperson and forming a 30-member National Working Committee. Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas, Rathin Ghosh and Sabina Yasmin were named vice-presidents of the parallel structure.
Banerjee framed the move as a democratic exercise rather than a rebellion, saying the new committee had been constituted through the unanimous election of delegates at a special session. He also made a pointed appeal to former chief minister Banerjee, repeatedly stating that the faction wanted her to assume the role of mentor within the party. "We want 'Didi' to assume the responsibility of a mentor and guide us," he said.
The rival faction's claim to legitimacy, however, was challenged by the official TMC leadership. Speaking after a National Working Committee meeting chaired by Mamata Banerjee, Ritabrata Banerjee questioned the decisions taken by what he described as the rival group — drawing a sharp contrast between the two competing structures now claiming authority over the party's name and organisation.
The crisis represents one of the most serious internal ruptures the Trinamool Congress has faced, with several of those expelled having held significant positions in both the party and the West Bengal government.
