New Twitter Handle, Back-to-Back Visits and More: Meet Mamata's 'Panch Pandav' on Mission Tripura

Eyeing to expand its power beyond West Bengal, Trinamool Congress national general has formed a team of five members — ‘Panch Pandav’ — to strengthen the party’s base in Tripura before the assembly elections.

The ‘Panch Pandav’ team comprises senior leader Kunal Ghosh, law minister Moloy Ghatak, education minister Bratyo Basu, INTTUC Bengal president Ritobrata Bandopadhaye and former MLA Samir Chakroborty. They have been given the responsibility of visiting Tripura continuously, turn wise, and develop organisation there. “I am soldier of the party. Whatever responsibility will be given, I will do it,” Ghosh said.

The Trinamool Congress has done extensive ground research on the status and popularity of the party, and only then a road map is being strategized, a source said.

Recently, a 23-member team of Prashant Kishor’s Indian Political Action Committee (I-PAC) were detained in their hotel room in Tripura while their stay for a survey on assessing the public’s opinion of governance in the state.

Though Tripura police claimed that they had been confined to their rooms due to Covid-19 protocols as the government wants to avoid any “unwanted” spread of the virus, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee tweeted that the I-PAC employees were kept under house arrest since the BJP is “rattled” by his party’s victory in Bengal.

Banerjee too faced protests on his arrival in Tripura. The party alleged that his car was attacked by BJP workers while he was returning after offering puja at the famous Tripureswari temple in the state’s Udaipur. They claimed three of his security personnel, who came from Kolkata, were injured.

The TMC high command has given clear instructions that along highlighting the issue of attack, organisational strength has to be increased in the region, the source said.

Kunal Ghosh has already visited Tripura and met people. Samir Chakroborty will embark on his trip from August 7, followed by others. Reacting to TMC’s plan, the Bharatiya Janata Party said that gaining power in Tripura is “dream” for Mamata Banerjee’s party that will never become a reality.

TMC, however, is leaving no stone unturned to fulfil this dream. An official Twitter handle for the state has also been launched by the party. This is the party’s first microblogging site handle for a region outside Bengal.

Considering the substantial Bengali population in Tripura and the anti-incumbency factor, TMC is riding high on hope to gain power in the state.

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