For years now, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s nephew and chosen heir as party chief, has been trying to fill out his role as future supremo by spearheading a kind of ethical cleansing. Target: the high-handed leaders operating with impunity despite all-pervasive allegations of corruption sullying their name—and, in turn, the party’s. In this, the 35-year-old crossed swords with TMC veterans,in Kolkata with the legend: “New Trinamool in six months, like people want.” That was seven months ago. Now, with panchayat polls due soon and the 2024 general election a year down the road, Abhishek is imparting some fresh impetus to his drive. And, faced with a worsening public perception, fanned by central agencies making newer arrests in the jobs scam, including that of TMC MLAs, the party is forced to accept the need for a course correction.
