TMC treasurer Aroop Biswas seeks freeze on party bank accounts amid leadership dispute

The internal conflict within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) escalated on Thursday as Aroop Biswas, who claims to be the party's treasurer, wrote to a private bank requesting restrictions on the operation of the party's accounts. The letter cites uncertainty over the legitimate leadership of the party following a series of rebellions by MLAs and MPs.

The move comes days after the Mamata Banerjee camp removed Biswas as treasurer on June 5 and appointed former MP Subhasish Chakraborty to the post. However, in the letter addressed to the manager of a private bank's Central Plaza branch in Kolkata, Biswas described himself as the treasurer. The authenticity of the two-page letter, which circulated on social media, could not be independently verified by PTI. The bank did not respond to queries, and Biswas did not answer calls or messages.

In the letter dated June 12, Biswas requested that no debit transactions or changes in operational mandates be permitted until the dispute over the party's control is resolved. He expressed apprehension that party funds could be utilised by persons not duly authorised and warned about the possible misuse of signed cheques, including those he had previously signed blank or pre-approved for organisational convenience.

The account in question is believed to be one of the TMC's principal 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 over the funds a significant political and organisational issue.

The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of the most severe crisis in the TMC's 28-year history, triggered by its defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections. In the state assembly, 58 dissident TMC MLAs, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, broke ranks with the party leadership, secured recognition from the Speaker as the dominant legislature group, and elected him as the Leader of the Opposition. Subsequently, 20 TMC MPs, including senior leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, moved away from the central leadership and sought a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), claiming support of more than two-thirds of the party's Lok Sabha members.

These revolts have triggered legal and political battles over anti-defection provisions, legislative recognition, ownership of the party's political legacy, and control over organisational resources. TMC MLA Kanailal Agarwal, aligned with the dissident camp, defended Biswas's move, stating he was within his rights as treasurer to write to the bank.