Abhishek persists for change with Diamond Harbour model as Trinamool old guards defend status quo

Abhishek Banerjee, nephew of Mamata Banerjee, making his mark in West Bengal politics with innovative initiatives.

Political scions often appear to be in a hurry to prove themselves. In that sense, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is the nephew of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has already made a mark in the West Bengal political scene, given that he is considered the de facto number two in the party.

Recently, the 37-year-old leader launched an initiative, Sebaashray, under which he organised free health camps in Diamond Harbour, the Lok Sabha constituency he represents. The push for the initiative is clearly visible on the ground in Diamond Harbour as well as on the social media handles of the Trinamool Congress.

In seven days since its launch, the Trinamool Congress claims that the initiative has provided medical services to one lakh people.

This is not the first time Mr. Banerjee has promoted the ‘Diamond Harbour Model’ of governance, launching his own initiatives for the electorate of his constituency. In January 2024, he took up an ambitious initiative to enrol about one lakh senior citizens in his constituency for an old age pension scheme; during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had claimed to have achieved in Diamond Harbour a successful model to track and treat cases of the viral infection.

While these initiatives have boosted his popularity and acceptance among the electorate, a Diamond Harbour model of governance operating within a larger West Bengal model of governance has posed questions both for the Trinamool Congress and the State government. The Opposition parties have been quick to point out that if the Diamond Harbour model by Mr. Banerjee is a success, then there must be some flaws in the West Bengal government model pushed by Mamata Banerjee.

Mr. Banerjee is a three-time MP, and in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, he won the Diamond Harbour seat by a margin of more than 7.18 lakh votes, one of the highest victory margins in the State. However, he is not part of the West Bengal government and thus has no administrative experience. There are frequent voices within the Trinamool Congress calling for a greater role for the party’s heir apparent in the State government.

The debate of whether old guards or young turks should be given prominence in the party has also been a subject of speculation among the party’s rank and file. Mr. Banerjee had earlier called for a retirement age in politics but Ms. Banerjee did not appear to be in agreement with the proposal.