Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar’s son, psychiatrist Dr Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, has initiated legal action against several senior party leaders, issuing a legal notice to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The legal notice, also served to MPs Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy and Mahua Moitra, along with party leader Sonali Guha, seeks a public apology and retraction over alleged statements claiming that he had sought a party ticket to contest the Barasat Assembly seat and over personal allegations directed at his family.
Dastidar has warned that failure to respond appropriately could lead to defamation proceedings.
Earlier this month, Mamata Banerjee, in a veiled reference, had said during a press conference that "some people" had approached her for an MLA ticket from Barasat, but the party top brass turned them down. She went ahead and said that while "she" is already an MP, does it mean that everyone from her family should be an MP or an MLA?
In a notice filed by Advocate Pooja Shukla, Dastidar categorically denied that he had ever expressed interest in contesting elections from Barasat or seeking an MLA nomination from the constituency.
He described claims suggesting that political disagreements involving his mother stemmed from his alleged electoral ambitions as "false".
He also strongly rejected remarks allegedly made by Sonali Guha claiming that he, his brother and his mother, Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, regularly consumed alcohol. Dastidar termed the allegations baseless and defamatory.
The legal notice states that Dastidar is a medical professional with an established academic and clinical background and argues that public references to him have caused reputational damage.
Dastidar "neither sought nor desired any nomination" from the Barasat Assembly constituency and rejects any suggestion that political developments involving his mother were linked to denial of a party ticket, the notice said.
At the same time, the communication makes a counterclaim, stating that representatives associated with political consultancy activities repeatedly approached him to consider contesting from Barasat.
It further alleges that individuals linked to I-PAC – a firm hired by TMC for campaign management in the recent Assembly elections – and local student leadership contacted him multiple times and encouraged participation in political activities and public health outreach programmes.
Dastidar has demanded that the recipients immediately stop making or repeating statements concerning him in political discussions, withdraw and retract all allegedly defamatory remarks, avoid any future public references to him, and issue a public clarification and apology within 15 days acknowledging that he never sought a political nomination.
The development comes amid widening turbulence within the TMC following its recent electoral setback and growing internal friction.
Dastidar’s mother, veteran TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, recently resigned from key organisational responsibilities in the party after stepping down as Barasat parliamentary district president.
A long-time associate of Mamata Banerjee, she publicly expressed dissatisfaction with the party leadership, criticised internal functioning and raised concerns over corruption allegations and governance issues.
Her criticism intensified after she accused the leadership of ignoring dissent and later suggested that a group of dissatisfied MPs wanted to distance themselves from the party’s current direction.
Against that backdrop, the legal action by her son adds another layer to the ongoing political confrontation inside the Trinamool Congress.
Whether the leaders respond with a clarification or whether the matter escalates into formal defamation proceedings may become the next flashpoint in Bengal politics.
Curated by Dr. Elena Rodriguez
