With West Bengal preparing for another intense election campaign, mayhem in Mamata Banerjee’s party is louder than the opposition. With the high-voltage contest looming near, tensions are running high on the ground as well as among her MPs.
There have been stories of internal divisions, verbal spats, and blame games that have created the impression of a party fighting to remain in control of its house. A number of Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders have taken public swipes at one another, laying bare fault lines that the opposition is happy to try and exploit.
The hue and cry are fueled by the installation of CCTV cameras and surveillance at party headquarters, ostensibly to keep internal affairs and leaks under watch. This has precipitated whispers of distrust and increasingly heightened anxiety among party workers.
In spite of the storm, Banerjee is unflinching, mobilizing crowds and concentrating on her campaign planning. But with the elections on the horizon, the larger challenge might actually be within, not beyond, her party walls.
