Mamata Banerjee Calls Rebels Traitors, Says "You'll Have to Kill Me" to Stop Her

Kolkata: Former Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress founder Mamata Banerjee has reacted sharply to the internal revolt and defections within her party, saying: "If you want to stop me, you'll have to kill me." The fierce internal conflict within the TMC erupted following the party's defeat in the state Assembly elections, with a large rebel faction forming under Ritabrata Banerjee's leadership that has pushed the party to the brink of a split.

Mamata described the rebels as "traitors" and vowed she would not bow before those trying to stop her. She also asserted that the party symbol would remain with her. With the dispute over the party's name and symbol intensifying, the Election Commission has asked both factions to submit responses by July 6.

Mamata suffered a major blow when Chandrima Bhattacharya, one of her most trusted loyalists and the party's West Bengal state president, resigned from all party positions and was subsequently seen meeting with the rebel faction. The rebel group led by Ritabrata Banerjee seized and locked the TMC's headquarters in Kokata. Mamata, however, said no one can forcibly take over party property.

With the state president's post now vacant, Mamata has directly taken over control of the party's Bengal unit, appointing Kunal Ghosh and Madan Mitra as state general secretaries. She alleged that the rebels are working with the BJP to destroy the party, and said the TMC's ideology is anti-BJP — making it impossible for those aligned with the BJP to continue as TMC members.