After the historic defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, the period of internal strife and disciplinary action has intensified in the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC). The party on Saturday (09 May) suspended its senior spokesperson Dr Riju Dutta for six years with immediate effect. The action was taken after Dutta had publicly claimed that he was being “pressured” by the party to make aggressive statements against BJP leaders and workers.
The official order issued by the disciplinary committee of the Trinamool Congress said that Riju Dutta seriously violated party discipline and made statements damaging the public image of the organization. The order is signed by senior leader Chandrima Bhattacharya.
In the recent assembly elections, BJP won an absolute majority in West Bengal by winning 207 out of 294 seats, while Trinamool Congress was reduced to only 80 seats. With this, TMC’s 15-year-old rule since 2011 ended.
According to the party, a show cause notice was issued to Riju Dutta on 8 May 2026. In the notice, he was asked to reply on the statements made against the party leadership. TMC alleges that Dutta did not give a satisfactory reply within the stipulated time nor did he appear before the disciplinary committee at Trinamool Bhawan in Kolkata.
It was made clear in the suspension order that Riju Dutta will not hold any party post for the next six years nor will he be able to represent the party in any way. The party has also reserved the right to take further additional action.
However, Riju Dutta has completely rejected these claims of the party. He claimed on social media platform X that he had submitted the reply to the show cause notice on time. Along with this he also shared the picture of his written answer.
In his post, Dutta wrote that he gave 13 years of his life to Trinamool Congress and created his identity only on the basis of his work without any political family or “nepotism”. He said he was suspended “because I told the truth.”
Dutta also claimed that he had submitted his detailed reply on May 9, 2026 at 11:27 am at Trinamool Bhawan. He indicated that perhaps the suspension order had been prepared even before his reply was read. At the end of the post he wrote, “I promise, I’ll be back!! See you soon!!”
The whole controversy started after a video statement surfaced on 6 May 2026. In a video released two days after the election results, Riju Dutta had thanked BJP leaders and workers. He had said that in the tense atmosphere after the elections, BJP workers ensured the safety of him and his family.
In the video, Dutta had also apologized unconditionally to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari. Suvendu Adhikari had defeated Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee from Bhawanipur seat in the recent elections. Dutta had said that his earlier aggressive statements against the BJP and its leaders were made “under pressure” and he had done so keeping in mind the safety of his family.
He also alleged that he did not get any support from the top leadership of Trinamool Congress in difficult times. He also praised the restraint of BJP workers and said that they did not face any problem even in BJP dominated areas.
After the video went viral, Trinamool Congress immediately distanced itself from it and said that Riju Dutta’s statements were her personal opinion, which has no connection with the party’s official line. The party had termed these comments as against organizational discipline.
After the election defeat, the growing dissatisfaction within TMC has now started coming out openly. Many party leaders have expressed concern over organizational weaknesses and inability to effectively conduct an aggressive campaign against the BJP. The action taken against Riju Dutta is also being seen in the context of this broader political crisis.
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