Suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta claims I-PAC is 'sabotaging' party

Suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta blamed I-PAC for the party's 2026 poll defeat, alleging it controlled the party, demanded money for seats, and orchestrated sabotage. He urged Mamata and Abhishek Banerjee to reclaim control from the 'outsider' firm.

Suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta on Sunday levelled accusations of I-PAC "running" the party, threatening its members, and earning from the party, and asked for TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee and General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to "take responsibility for the sabotage of this party."

Speaking with ANI, Dutta claimed three reasons for the defeat of TMC in the West Bengal Assembly Elections 2026: "I-PAC controlling the party, corruption committed by the lower-level party cadres, and disrespect for women."

'I-PAC Running the Party'

Shedding light on the first reason, he said that while TMC could not garner people's trust, leading to the defeat, the party originally lost because of being under the control of I-PAC for the "last 6 months." He alleged that the I-PAC asked TMC members to "abuse Suvendu Adhikari and his father," adding that he was asked to pay a handsome sum of money to be able to contest elections.

"The first thing is that the people of Bengal have voted against Trinamool. There is no doubt in this. Secondly, I accept that TMC got 41% votes and the difference in votes between BJP and TMC is just 32 lakhs. There are three major reasons for TMC to lose; the first reason is I-PAC. I-PAC has been running the party for the last 6 months... They are sending us messages to abuse Suvendu Adhikari and his father. I went to meet Pratik Jain, and after leaving his office, a person named Arjun told me that if you want to contest the elections, you will have to pay Rs 50 lakhs. Because of fear, I did not even inform anyone at the party.

Questioning the timing of the bail of I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel, he alleged that the case was "staged." He further said that while Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee are "being kept in the dark," they should make efforts to take back control of the party.

"Didi (Mamata Banerjee) and Abhishek Banerjee must take responsibility for how an outsider organisation (I-PAC) managed to capture the entire party... When ED raids took place at TMC leaders' homes, Didi rushed to secure party data. Today, an ED case against her is in the Supreme Court, and if it goes against her, jail is possible... After the second phase of voting ended, the very next morning I-PAC director Vinesh Chandel was granted bail by a lower court. This clearly shows the case was staged," Dutta said.

"Where is Pratik Jain (Director, Pratik Jain) today? He ran away. What loss did he incur? He earned money from the TMC, and he raised money from the market... But you can't challenge I-PAC because it is only running the party. It kept Didi in the dark in this manner. I don't know why Abhishek Da didn't know this? This destroyed the party... Didi and Abhishek Da will have to take responsibility for the sabotage of this party by I-PAC...," he added.

Corruption by Lower-Level Cadres

Furthermore, he claimed that the lower-level cadres of TMC are engaged in committing "corruption and atrocities against people" while maintaining that the senior party leadership, including Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, are not corrupt.

"The second reason why this party is finished is that the lower-level cadres of TMC have committed such huge corruption by committing atrocities against the people. Neither Didi nor Abhishek Da nor senior MPs have committed any corruption... No one can point a finger at Didi," he said.

Disrespect for Women

Describing the third reason, Dutta said that on one hand, the lower-level cadres of TMC commit atrocities against Hindu women, amd on the other, former CM Mamata Banerjee announced financial aid schemes, resulting in a lack of faith among the women electorate for TMC. He asserted that the BJP, despite being a new party in the state, will do better work than TMC for West Bengal.

"The third biggest reason for TMC's defeat is the disrespect for women. We used to think that all the women in Bengal would vote for Didi blindly, but the lower-level cadres of TMC have committed atrocities on the Hindu women of the village, month after month, year after year. You can't buy the respect of a woman for Rs 1500. This is the result of the atrocities they have suffered... The BJP is a new party in Bengal, and for the next 2-3 years, they will do so much work in Bengal that no Trinamool leader will be able to go door to door in 2029 and ask for votes," he said.

Dutta Suspended by TMC

This comes after AITC issued a suspension order against party leader Riju Dutta for a period of six years, citing alleged violations of party discipline and non-compliance with summons issued by its disciplinary committee.

According to the suspension order issued from the party's central office in Kolkata, Dutta had earlier been served a show-cause notice over certain public statements made against the party and its leadership. The order noted that the disciplinary committee waited till 5 pm on the scheduled date, but Dutta did not attend the hearing or explain his position. It added that his conduct was found to be in violation of party discipline and detrimental to its unity and public image. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)