File photo of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee
Glasnost is perhaps yet to come, but perestroika hit the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal today as never before and left out in the cold Mamata Banerjee's right hand man till the other day, Mukul Roy.
Till now Mr Roy was the organisation man, Trinamool's all-powerful All India General Secretary. Officially he is still that. But now an additional general secretary has been appointed for the first time - a sure sign of clipped wings.
The reorganisation announced came after a party meeting at Ms Banerjee's house this afternoon, a meeting that Mr Roy conspicuously skipped.
Ms Banerjee, according to sources, was infuriated by Mr Roy's absence. "I used to depend on him. Now I will do everything myself," she was quoted as saying.
Asked about his wings being clipped, Mr Roy told NDTV, "No one can give you wings, no one can take away your wings."
"No split. I am here. The party has grown. Today's decision is good. In a nationalist party like ours, people will decide its fate," he replied to a question on whether a split was imminent in the Trinamool.
Ms Banerjee and Mr Roy have reportedly been falling out lately. One of the many reasons: the growing clout of Ms Banerjee's nephew and Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee who was made president of the Trinamool Youth Congress some months ago.
Mr Roy's son Subranshu, who is also a Trinamool MLA, has not had any meteoric rise in the party.
Most recently, after being questioned by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Saradha case, Mr Roy said he would cooperate fully with the CBI to unearth where the Saradha money went, clearly contradicting Ms Banerjee's stand that the CBI probe into Saradha was political vendetta by the BJP.
That Ms Banerjee is worried about cracks in the party was clear from another appointment today. MP and former railway minister Dinesh Trivedi is now All-India Vice President of the party. Recently, Mr Trivedi had shared a stage in Gujarat with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's brother, praised the PM and looked set to quit the Trinamool and join the BJP. His new post signals Ms Banerjee trying to woo him back.
Another MP promoted, as it were, is Subhendu Adhikari of Tamluk. Earlier president of the Trinamool Youth Congress, Mr Adhikari was reportedly unhappy at being sidelined. He has been given charge of Assam.
Sources had earlier told NDTV that several Trinamool leaders are in talks with the BJP to join the party. BJP President Amit Shah has declared his intention to make major gains in Bengal in municipal elections later this year. State elections will be held next year.
Meanwhile, the Trinamool Congress also set up a National Secretariat today, with MP Derek O'Brien, Kakoli Dastidar and senior minister Firhad Hakim as members. Derek O'Brien and MP Kalyan Banerjee will also oversee parliamentary operations of the party.
Mr O'Brien has also been given charge of the party in the north eastern states and Trinamool. Panchayat minister Subrata Mukherjee has been given charge of Tripura.
The Trinamool Congress has also decided to offer associate or active membership to the party for Rs 50,000 for five years.