Anubrata Modal, one of the prime accused in the multi-crore cattle smuggling scam in West Bengal, must be a rare exception where a person just holding the post of a district president is given so much importance in the party that his replacement is yet to be announced by the Trinamool Congress leadership even months after his arrest.
Despite being in judicial custody for so many months since his arrest by the CBI in August last year, the Trinamool Congress leadership has not announced his replacement as the party's Birbhum district president.
This is in sharp contrast to the case of former state Education Minister Partha Chatterjee, who was stripped of all his ministerial and party posts just a week after his arrest by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in connection with the multi-crore teachers' recruitment scam.
Now with the ED taking Mondal to Delhi for questioning, there is confusion within the state's ruling party as to whether this development will ultimately prompt the party leadership to announce Mondal's replacement as Birbhum district chief.
Currently, the organisational affairs of the party in Birbhum are being managed by a seven-member core committee with Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee herself overseeing the entire process. Now the question doing the rounds in Trinamool circle is how long this interim arrangement will continue.
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A state committee member of Trinamool, on strict condition of anonymity, pointed out the practical problems in announcing Mondal's replacement in a haste.
"Mondal as an able party organiser mastered the art of keeping inner-party factionalism in Birbhum district within controllable limits. He was the final word in organisational matters in the district and his rivals never had that strength of fuelling factionalism within the party.
"But in case a replacement is announced, be it from among any of Mondal's confidants or from a rival camp, chances of factionalism in the district will rise. That is why the Chief Minister herself is overseeing the entire process, since she is the final word in Trinamool Congress," the state committee member said.
The BJP leadership in the state claim that Mondal is being retained because the Trinamool leadership fears that a formal replacement will make him spill the beans before the central agencies, which will land some influential people within the party in deep soup.
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"But he will ultimately open his mouth. He will not be able to dodge the investigating officials in Delhi, as he had been doing in his home turf so far," said BJP leader Sajal Ghosh.
