TMC's Kakoli Dastidar quits all party posts as Suvendu Adhikari meet stirs BJP buzz
The development provided a major blow to Trinamool Congress as Dastidar was considered a close aide of party supremo Mamata Banerjee for a long time.
A few days after resigning as Trinamool Congress's Barasat parliamentary district president, veteran TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar—a close aide of Mamata Banerjee—stepped down from all organisational posts within the party. The development came hours after the four-time MP from Barasat Lok Sabha constituency attended a key administrative meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
"But with great sadness and concern, I am requesting to resign from the post of Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Mahila Congress, as well as from other organisational posts, committees and responsibilities of the party," Ghosh Dastidar wrote in her resignation letter.
"It is not meaningful to hold a position where the indecent behaviour of another uneducated, rude party MP towards a woman MP cannot be stopped, or the cooperation and sympathy of the senior leadership cannot be obtained," she added, taking a clear jibe at lawyer-politician and Trinamool MP from Serampore Lok Sabha constituency, Kalyan Banerjee, who was reinstated as the party chief whip in Lok Sabha, replacing Kakoli after TMC's poll rout.
As soon as the news of the rejig in the parliament broke out, Kakoli responded with a cryptic social media post. "I have known Mamata Banerjee since 1976 and have been working together since 1984. Today, I got the prize for my four-decade-long loyalty," she wrote on X.
The resignation provided a major blow to the Trinamool Congress amid the poll debacle, as Kakoli had long been considered a key aide of party supremo Mamata Banerjee, holding a good grip over the party organisation in the North 24 Parganas, which was once considered a strong urban bastion for the party.
Alongside maintaining close ties with party cadres, Kakoli also raised her voice in parliament, often attacking the BJP-ruled central government.
Although the veteran leader has resigned from all organisational posts, she has not quit as an MP. In addition, she has also not tendered her resignation as a party member.
CONCISE DEEPLY MOVED: KAKOLI TARGETS TRINAMOOL OVER ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION, RG KAR
The resignation letter has also sparked a major controversy, as Kakoli criticised the party over corruption allegations and the rape and murder of the medical student in the RG Kar Medical College.
"My conscience is deeply stirred today. Several financial and administrative irregularities, including ration corruption and teacher recruitment corruption, have given rise to deep anger and distrust in the minds of the common people. In addition, the tragic death of PGT Doctor Abhaya at R.G. Kar Medical College and the allegations of a possible cover-up surrounding that incident have pained and shocked the entire society. I have personally felt the moral impact of all these incidents deeply," she wrote.
She became the second TMC leader to flag concerns over alleged financial irregularities and mismanagement of administration. Prior to her, it was Jawhar Sircar, who, in a recent PTI interview, spoke about the 'reign of terror.'
FAILED TO LIVE UP TO THE RESPONSIBILITY, KAKOLI TOLD WHILE RESIGNING FROM DISTRICT PRESIDENT'S POST
As the Trinamool Congress put up an abysmal show by winning just two of the seven seats falling under the Barasat parliamentary seat, Kakoli took the moral responsibility.
"When someone serves as the President or Chairperson of an organisation, the primary responsibility for its functioning and outcomes usually rests upon them. I fail to live up to this responsibility—specifically, we lose 5 out of the 7 assembly segments; that is precisely why, acting on moral grounds, I stepped down from the post," she said.
However, the veteran MP also lashed out at poll strategist I-PAC, blaming them for the major poll loss in Bengal.
"In the 2026 elections, the responsibility for managing the campaign lay with an external agency—I-PAC. They lacked the experience of fighting elections, unlike us, who have contested several elections... Their general working methodology was flawed, and they behaved rudely toward our party workers," she said.
Kakoli also flagged the discontent among the party workers in one of her latest interviews.
A few days after resigning as Trinamool Congress's Barasat parliamentary district president, veteran TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar—a close aide of Mamata Banerjee—stepped down from all organisational posts within the party. The development came hours after the four-time MP from Barasat Lok Sabha constituency attended a key administrative meeting chaired by Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
"But with great sadness and concern, I am requesting to resign from the post of Chairperson of the All India Trinamool Mahila Congress, as well as from other organisational posts, committees and responsibilities of the party," Ghosh Dastidar wrote in her resignation letter.
"It is not meaningful to hold a position where the indecent behaviour of another uneducated, rude party MP towards a woman MP cannot be stopped, or the cooperation and sympathy of the senior leadership cannot be obtained," she added, taking a clear jibe at lawyer-politician and Trinamool MP from Serampore Lok Sabha constituency, Kalyan Banerjee, who was reinstated as the party chief whip in Lok Sabha, replacing Kakoli after TMC's poll rout.
As soon as the news of the rejig in the parliament broke out, Kakoli responded with a cryptic social media post. "I have known Mamata Banerjee since 1976 and have been working together since 1984. Today, I got the prize for my four-decade-long loyalty," she wrote on X.
The resignation provided a major blow to the Trinamool Congress amid the poll debacle, as Kakoli had long been considered a key aide of party supremo Mamata Banerjee, holding a good grip over the party organisation in the North 24 Parganas, which was once considered a strong urban bastion for the party.
Alongside maintaining close ties with party cadres, Kakoli also raised her voice in parliament, often attacking the BJP-ruled central government.
Although the veteran leader has resigned from all organisational posts, she has not quit as an MP. In addition, she has also not tendered her resignation as a party member.
CONCISE DEEPLY MOVED: KAKOLI TARGETS TRINAMOOL OVER ALLEGATIONS OF CORRUPTION, RG KAR
The resignation letter has also sparked a major controversy, as Kakoli criticised the party over corruption allegations and the rape and murder of the medical student in the RG Kar Medical College.
"My conscience is deeply stirred today. Several financial and administrative irregularities, including ration corruption and teacher recruitment corruption, have given rise to deep anger and distrust in the minds of the common people. In addition, the tragic death of PGT Doctor Abhaya at R.G. Kar Medical College and the allegations of a possible cover-up surrounding that incident have pained and shocked the entire society. I have personally felt the moral impact of all these incidents deeply," she wrote.
She became the second TMC leader to flag concerns over alleged financial irregularities and mismanagement of administration. Prior to her, it was Jawhar Sircar, who, in a recent PTI interview, spoke about the 'reign of terror.'
FAILED TO LIVE UP TO THE RESPONSIBILITY, KAKOLI TOLD WHILE RESIGNING FROM DISTRICT PRESIDENT'S POST
As the Trinamool Congress put up an abysmal show by winning just two of the seven seats falling under the Barasat parliamentary seat, Kakoli took the moral responsibility.
"When someone serves as the President or Chairperson of an organisation, the primary responsibility for its functioning and outcomes usually rests upon them. I fail to live up to this responsibility—specifically, we lose 5 out of the 7 assembly segments; that is precisely why, acting on moral grounds, I stepped down from the post," she said.
However, the veteran MP also lashed out at poll strategist I-PAC, blaming them for the major poll loss in Bengal.
"In the 2026 elections, the responsibility for managing the campaign lay with an external agency—I-PAC. They lacked the experience of fighting elections, unlike us, who have contested several elections... Their general working methodology was flawed, and they behaved rudely toward our party workers," she said.
Kakoli also flagged the discontent among the party workers in one of her latest interviews.
