Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 7 (ANI): Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLA Kunal Ghosh on Sunday criticised his party's leaders and legislators who have recently expressed grievances and are allegedly considering leaving the party following the state election results.

In a post on X, Ghosh questioned the timing and motives behind such dissent, asking why the 'conscience of so many representatives awakened only after the election results' and why they had become party candidates in the first place if the party was 'so bad.'

He further asked, 'If the party returns to power, wouldn't these leaders themselves be in the front row for ministerial positions, big posts, and all the pomp and circumstance? When the party is going through tough times, how can people who have held top administrative and organisational positions for so long suddenly think of switching camps instead of standing by the leader, the workers, or the party?'

Ghosh also accused some of acting with hidden motives, saying, 'Those dressing up as revolutionaries, wasn't their real motive to openly speak out in the party forum, where they had the chance? Or was it stronger to play the role of a 'good grassroots' worker in someone else's scripted drama with a different agenda?'

Highlighting the perceived betrayal, he said, 'Those who became MLAs and MPs on the party's symbol, with Didi's photo plastered everywhere, and whom the Trinamool workers and people voted for, now switching camps alone with a 'different agenda', isn't that a betrayal of trust?'

Ghosh warned against attempts to challenge the party's leadership, adding, 'I hear some are saying they'll snatch the party's recognition and symbol from Didi. With opposition support, it might be numerically possible, but the woman whose lifelong struggle established everyone, after the elections, under numerical pressure, how can anyone think of taking the party from her?'

He reaffirmed his loyalty, stating, 'The workers who are with Didi, who will stay with her, I will stand by them as a comrade. The party made me an MLA just a month ago. I cannot be a betrayer. I will stand with the defeated, I will stand with those struck by intrigue. My conscience tells me it's right to stay with Didi now. Duty first, resentments later. This is what defines a human being.'

Concluding with a tribute to Rabindranath Tagore, Ghosh said, 'In the greed for victory, fame, or kingdom, a hero does not stray from the path of the noble.' Fifty-eight legislators of the TMC expressed support for expelled party leader Ritabarta Banerjee, electing him as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, going against the official party line.Amid speculation of multiple leaders leaving, TMC has also announced a leadership shuffle, with leaders Derek O'Brien and Dola Sen appointed as Joint Secretaries at the national level. They will work closely with National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee to assist him in his organisational responsibilities. (ANI)