A Sparse Entourage, Silent MPs And Growing Unease: The Story Behind Mamata's Lonely Delhi Visit

In the past, a visit by Didi to the capital meant a rush of party MPs jostling for proximity, forming the familiar cortege that trailed her from corridor to corridor. This time however, the change was quite conspicuous.

There was just Abhishek Banerjee, Derek O’ Brien, and Didi, with Abhishek having arrived two days prior to smoothen matters before his aunt made her entry. Yet, attempts to reach out to several of the party MPs were met with blocked numbers, unanswered calls, and no call-backs.

Earlier today, senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed, that nearly 20 TMC MPs, including herself, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla declaring their decision to support the NDA. Furthermore, she announced the formation of a rebel-faction within the TMC,

alleging that she was not being allowed to work within the party.

At least four women MPs are understood to have made themselves scarce from Delhi altogether during Mamata’s visit. The reluctance to be seen standing behind her is, in itself, a statement.

At the INDIA bloc meeting, the warm embrace that Sonia Gandhi gave Mamata Banerjee was both significant and symbolic. When Sonia assumed the Congress reins in the late 1990s, the party had been hollowed out from within. Senior leaders had walked out, the NCP had splintered off, and the organisation looked finished. Through a phalanx of loyalists, Sonia reconstructed it, and the UPA that emerged from that rebuilding governed India for two consecutive terms.

These are, however, different circumstances altogether. Congress was, and remains, a national party with organisational depth that spans the length of the country. The TMC, for all its periodic ambitions beyond West Bengal, is still a Bengal-bound force. With a much smaller catchment area, its internal fault lines are more visible. Adding to the strain are the corruption allegations that hang over the party. Several MPs fear that the legal exposure back home could eventually catch up with them. Increasingly, there is a perception that Mamata Banerjee may no longer carry the political heft to reassure or protect them politically.

That she intends a Sonia-style revival is apparent. The challenge is that many among the current crop of MPs appear reluctant to engage.

At Abhishek Banerjee’s Delhi residence, the silence is palpable. The lawns that once bustled with party leaders are sparsely populated. The long queues of visitors have disappeared. The phones remain blocked.

More telling still is the fate of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy’s residence, which had long functioned as the informal hub for TMC MPs whenever Mamata was in Delhi. That door, too, now appears effectively shut to her, and her entourage.

For a leader who once commanded unquestioned loyalty, the resounding silence is the loudest message the party.