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Not just at top, TMC cracks at grassroots too as people step out against ‘syndicates’

Indian Express·June 13, 2026·2 updates

A small office made of asbestos and tin, in the blue and white colours of the Trinamool Congress, along the bustling Sonarpur Railway Station in South 24 Parganas, now sports a new look.

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Indian Express·Saturday, June 13, 2026

Not just at top, TMC cracks at grassroots too as people step out against ‘syndicates’

Hoisted on it is a saffron banner saying ‘Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangha, Sarbabrihat trade union, Sonarpur block’.It is the office of the autorickshaw union of the area, which has changed loyalties from the Indian National Trinamool Trade Union Congress (INTTUC) to the BJP’s Mazdoor Sangh. The power shift in Bengal is one aspect of this transformation; the other is the rush to break the chokehold of the TMC’s “syndicate” system.At the Sonarpur office, auto drivers talk about no longer having to pay “Rs 120 monthly per vehicle”, allegedly demanded by local TMC leaders.

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A demolition drive in Beleghata, a maze of high-rises and tightly packed structures in a TMC turf. (Photo by by Partha Paul)It was just 2 km away from the railway station that TMC No. 2 Abhishek Banerjee was attacked on May 30 by a mob, which pelted him with eggs, shoes and stones – in what was seen as reflection of the large-scale anger against the TMC in general, and Abhishek in particular. Other TMC leaders accused of extortion or in alleged scams have also faced public fury, as well as arrests. Reports talk of leaders going on the run; found hiding, including under a stack of saris; or returning the “cut money” they took, in the hope of being spared. It was under the Left’s 34 years in power that the syndicate system originated. However, under the TMC, it expanded and dug in deeper, with party leaders openly lending their weight to the system. From autorickshaw unions to supply of building materials and workers, from permission for construction to illegal buildings, and from sand mining to land grab, the “syndicates” ruled the roost. Now, even as the TMC is cracking at the top, and Mamata Banerjee is fighting desperately to keep hold of her party, at the grassroot level too, the breach is spreading. The Indian Express tracks this collapse across three places where TMC leaders find themselves in the dock – Sonarpur and Beleghata in Kolkata, and Jamalpur in Purba Bardhaman. Sonarpur: ‘Rule of fear’ At Kamrabad’s Bhowmik Park, a half-constructed house stands out. Bapi Haldar, who owns a workshop making iron grilles nearby, says: “Eight months back, construction started on the house. We don’t know how the government land was occupied, but no one protested out of fear. Since May 4 (when the Bengal results were declared), construction has stopped.” TMC leaders and workers who would always be seen hanging around in the area that was a party bastion have disappeared, adds Haldar. “Everything has changed… We don’t see many BJP leaders too, but that is because there are none in this area.”

Not just at top, TMC cracks at grassroots too as people step out against ‘syndicates’

Not just at top, TMC cracks at grassroots too as people step out against ‘syndicates’

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Not just at top, TMC cracks at grassroots too as people step out against ‘syndicates’

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Not just at top, TMC cracks at grassroots too as people step out against ‘syndicates’

More in general

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