Mahua Moitra, leader of the Trinamool Congress (TMC), has rallied fiercely for party National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee in the face of repeated allegations of nepotism against his party.

Following the scandal, Mahua spoke in an exclusive interview with us that Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, was awarded a Lok Sabha ticket in 2014 because of family ties. But she maintained that the last 12 years he has earned his stripes with hard work, election wins and organizing.

“Was Abhishek on his first ticket that Mamata Banerjee’s nephew? Yes. But has he been for the party, worked for the organization, traveled to other areas of the state and won elections? Yes, he has paid his dues,” Mahua said.

Her comments come at a moment when the TMC is confronting one of its greatest internal challenges, with senior leaders resigning from the party and many openly challenging the leadership.

Mahua also said that although younger than her, she has come to fully embrace Abhishek as the party’s National General Secretary.

Comparing her experience to that of Suvendu Adhikari, a former leader of the TMC, Mahua said she appreciates leaders who take a stand openly in politics. She noted that Adhikari broke with the party in 2020 after becoming frustrated with Abhishek Banerjee’s growing influence and made his way towards the BJP instead of being internally opposed.

“I could have been a rebel and done what Suvendu did,” Mahua said, adding that he was candid about his political ambitions and disagreements before leaving the party.

She also asked current dissidents in the TMC why leaders not aligned with Abhishek Banerjee did not leave one stage earlier, and run the elections under a different banner.

“If there was an issue with Abhishek with these MLAs, why didn’t they quit before 2026 elections, transition to another party, and win on their own?” she asked.

The trouble comes as the TMC faces mounting unrest. Recently several seniors, including Rajya Sabha MPs and party veterans, have resigned. A small group of rebel legislators has also challenged the party leadership inside the West Bengal Assembly.

Many of the rebels have said the leadership is moving away from grassroots workers and having its power focused on Abhishek Banerjee. They say experienced leaders are being sidelined from key decision-making.

Political tensions are mounting ahead of future electoral conflicts where Mahua Moitra’s tough stand on Abhishek Banerjee has taken the longstanding arguments around the leadership, loyalty and internal democracy within the Trinamool Congress to another level.