Mamata bats for seniors in party, says young leaders need to learn from veterans

Kolkata: Amid internal debates within the party, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday reiterated the importance of showing due respect to senior members while urging the younger generation to learn from their experience.

The controversy surrounding the alleged power tussle between veterans and the emerging generation in TMC came to the fore last month when Banerjee advocated for the acknowledgement of senior members and dismissed the notion that elderly leaders should retire from active politics.

Following this, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, her nephew, expressed support for the younger generation in the party and emphasised the need to impose a maximum age limit in politics, citing a decline in work efficiency and productivity with advancing age.

"We must respect seniors in the party. We need to learn from their experience. Both the old and the new are essential for the party," she said.

Banerjee also set up a 20-member core committee to address organisational matters within the factionalism-ridden North 24 Parganas district.

"Some leaders think they are bigger than the party. They are compromising the interests of the party for the sake of their own personal interests. This must stop, as we won't tolerate it," she said.

Addressing reports of a power struggle between the old and the new, party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh asserted last month that there is no conflict between the two, emphasising the importance of both Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee for the party.

This ongoing controversy has evoked memories of a two-year-old internal struggle within the TMC between the old guard and the younger faction.

Amidst rumours of an alleged power struggle, TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had dissolved all national office-bearer committees, including the post of national general secretary held by her nephew.

Subsequently, a new committee was formed, and Abhishek was reinstated as the party's national general secretary.

Since then, Abhishek has not only gained prominence within the party but is also considered the de facto No. 2 in the state's ruling dispensation.