Mamata Banerjee Extends Best Wishes to Suvendu Adhikari

Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo Mamata Banerjee has firmly rejected the rebel faction's claim over the party's organisational headquarters, Trinamool Bhavan, asserting that the dissident group led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee has no legal authority over the property.

Addressing party workers during a Facebook Live session on Saturday, a day after the rebel faction seized control of the party office on Kolkata's EM Bypass, Banerjee maintained that the premises remain under a valid lease until 2027 and that all rent and maintenance expenses have been paid by her camp through proper documentation.

"The office has been leased till 2027. It belongs to an institution, not to any individual. We have paid the rent every month and have cheque records to prove it," she said.

The former Chief Minister also claimed that her faction spends nearly ₹1 lakh every month on maintenance, electricity bills, taxes and other operational expenses, adding that every payment has been made through official records.

Banerjee stressed that merely occupying the party headquarters does not establish ownership or organisational authority.
"No one can claim the office without legal documents. These matters are decided by agreements and records, not by force," she said, while clarifying that she held no personal grudge against anyone involved in the internal dispute.

The remarks come amid an intensifying power struggle within the Trinamool Congress after the rebel faction took control of Trinamool Bhavan and claimed to represent the "real" TMC.

Banerjee also referred to current Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, recalling his political journey and association with the Trinamool Congress before he assumed the state's top office.

"You became Chief Minister, my best wishes. But that doesn't erase your political past. You were once with the Congress and later joined the TMC. I campaigned for you repeatedly in your constituency," she said.

The leadership battle within the Trinamool Congress is now expected to move beyond political rhetoric, with the ownership and control of the party headquarters likely to be decided through legal proceedings and documentary evidence.