'Kill Me To Stop Me': Defiant Mamata Banerjee Calls Trinamool Rebels Traitors

Mamata Banerjee said the Trinamool's symbol would remain with the bloc loyal to her, indicating that the rebels might face a protracted legal battle.

04 Jul 2026, 12:56 · www.ndtv.com

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Mamata Banerjee remains defiant after Trinamool rebels formed separate factions
She called the rebels traitors and vowed the party symbol stays with her loyal bloc
She also said she would never join hands with the rebels

What happens if the Election Commission rules against Mamata Banerjee?
Kolkata:

Despite absorbing blow after blow following Trinamool Congress's debacle in the West Bengal Assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee remains defiant. After most of the party's 80 MLAs formed a faction under Ritabrata Banerjee and its Lok Sabha MPs created a third bloc, kicking off the who's-the-real-Trinamool Congress jostling, she has dared her political opponents, saying they would have to "kill" her to "stop" her.

Banerjee called the rebels "traitors". However, in her trademark style, she said the Trinamool's symbol would remain with the bloc loyal to her, indicating that the rebels might face a protracted legal battle. "The party symbol won't go anywhere. If you want to stop me, you need to kill me," she said.

The Trinamool Congress chief was dealt a fresh jolt on Saturday when Chandrima Bhattacharya, the party's Bengal chief and one of the few bigwigs still loyal to her, resigned. The MLA followed her colleagues into the faction spearheaded by Ritabrata Banerjee, the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly, whose supporters wrested control of the party's office in Kolkata on Friday.

"Chandrima Bhattacharya has resigned today. She had already informed me of the actual situation - that she would resign - because her son had previously joined hands with an anti-Trinamool faction," she said.

Also read: Trinamool vs Trinamool As Rebel Faction 'Takes Control' Of Party Headquarters

The former chief minister, however, vowed she would never join the rebels, rejecting the latter's offer of an advisory role.

"That is something she is free to do, but I will not join hands with them," she said.

She claimed that the rebels had parted ways because of pressure. "But I will not bow down before the BJP, and my party will not bow down before any pressure," she added.

Banerjee also addressed the issue of rebels taking control of the Trinamool office.

"To those who went to the Trinamool Congress office yesterday and locked it up, I say this: we had rented that office. It was leased to us until October 2027. An individual may leave the party, but the institution itself does not cease to exist. It is the party's property. I cannot simply take it over. No one can forcibly seize the property of 'Ma, Mati, Manush'," she said.

The former chief minister -- who uprooted the Left from power after over three decades in 2011, effectively creating a political vacuum later utilised by the BJP -- said her party's ideology is firmly against the ruling party.

Also read: Another Jolt To Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Bengal Chief Quits, Meets Rebels

"The symbol was given by me. I was the signatory for your nominations in the 2026 elections. How did you turn traitor within two months of the election? It should have some limit. You are with the BJP right now, which can't go on like this, as the Trinamool's ideology is anti-BJP," she said.

She said that after Chandrima's exit, she has taken charge of the party on both the national and state levels.

She also announced that the party office at her house would serve as the main Trinamool office.

Trinamool Exodus

The exodus in the Trinamool Congress began after the party and Banerjee's loss in the Bengal polls. The dissenting MLAs questioned her leadership style but indicated that their exit was more a referendum on her nephew, Abhishek Banerjee's role in the party.

Over 60 MLAs, over 20 Lok Sabha MPs and at least 3 Rajya Sabha MPs have announced their separation from the Banerjee-led outfit.

Bhattcharya announced her resignation barely weeks after she was appointed the chief of the party's Bengal unit.

In her separation letter, she said she will always have the highest regard for Mamata Banerjee. She, however, blamed a lack of trust for her decision.

"Where there is no faith, where there is no trust, it is not possible to work. That is why we resigned," she said.

The Election Commission has asked the rival factions of the Trinamool Congress to submit their claims and counterclaims by 5.30 pm on July 6.

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