Factionalism within Hill unit of Trinamul,,, TMC’s youth affiliate revolted openly against hills leadership

SNS, Kurseong, 18 November 2013: Even before the bloom comes about, signs of withering are discernible in the Hill unit of the Trinamul Congress.

Schism is surfacing as factions are on a war path.

When an organisational meeting was in progress in Kurseong recently, a group of youths, belonging to the party’s youth affiliate, revolted openly against the Hill unit’s leadership.

The principal refrain is that all sections are not being taken on board while important decisions are being taken.

“Things are being decided at the top and are being rammed down our throats,” one of the disgruntled youths said.

The situation has further compounded, as the section, unhappy with the present drift of things, said their loyalty is being split as different bodies are pulling them in different directions.

“We are being torn, as there are three groups ~ Hill TMC, All India TMC and Bengal ~ all competing to gain loyalty of the workers. This is a queer situation and we are confused,” said Mr Mohan Tamang, convenor of the TMC ad-hoc organising committee, Kurseong.

“The party high command must tell us which of these bodies should claim our primary allegiance.

Different voices are emanating from different camps, confounding our confusion. While Mr Rajen Mukhia, the Hill TMC convenor, claims he is in the command Mr Bishal Chettri, who claims to be a member of the state TMC, said Mr Mukhia is a non-entity before the All India TMC,” he said.

“Things must be resolved or we would quit en masse,” he added.

He also alleged that Mr Chettri, under the banner of AITMC, keeps hosting organisational meetings and building party units at different places in the Hills without taking the Hill unit of the party in confidence.

Importantly, one Mr Kundan Mangrati, a resident of Kurseong, was appointed today the convenor of the Kurseong sub-divisional committee, reportedly at the behest of Mr Chettri.

However, Mr Chettri thrashed charges of factional tension surfacing in the party organisation in the Hills. “The charge is baseless,” Mr Chettri said.