TMC Crisis: Kakali Ghosh’s Son Sends Defamation Notice to Mamata Banerjee, Mahua Moitra

Kolkata (IANS): Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, son of rebel Trinamool Congress MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, sent a legal notice on Saturday to former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and high-profile Trinamool leaders for making false, defamatory, and unwarranted claims against him. The notice also targets Trinamool MPs Sougata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, and former party leader Sonali Guha.

In a formal statement, Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar clarified that he never sought an MLA ticket from the Barasat Assembly constituency. He labelled any claims suggesting otherwise as false and defamatory.

He also strongly denied statements from Sonali Guha alleging that he, his brother, and his mother—the Barasat MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar—regularly consume alcohol, calling the allegations completely untrue.

His advocate, Pooja Shukla, prepared the legal notice, which Baidyanath has already signed. He expects to formally serve the notice to Mamata Banerjee and the other leaders on Monday.

The Roots of the Political Feud

Sonali Guha and other Trinamool leaders recently claimed that Kakali Ghosh Dastidar rebelled against the party because the leadership denied her son a ticket to contest the recently concluded Assembly polls from Barasat.

Baidyanath stated that he demands a public apology and a full retraction of these statements. If the leaders fail to respond appropriately, he intends to pursue all available legal remedies, including criminal or civil defamation proceedings.

Rebel Trinamool Faction Moves Toward NDA

This legal battle unfolds amidst a massive political shift in West Bengal. The rebel Trinamool MPs, led by Kakali Ghosh Dastidar, recently held a meeting at the residence of Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav, which West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari also attended.

On Saturday, veteran leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay officially joined the rebel camp. The group has now decided to align with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

On Saturday afternoon, onlookers spotted Bandyopadhyay, the Trinamool Congress MP for Kolkata Uttar, sharing a car with fellow rebel MP Satabdi Roy in Delhi. The duo drove straight from the Delhi airport to Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav’s house to solidify their new alliance.