Mamata Banerjee’s All India Trinamool Congress has suspended its national spokesperson Riju Dutta for six years. The suspension took effect on May 9 with immediate effect. The party cited serious breaches of discipline and failure to appear before its disciplinary committee.
Riju Dutta served as a prominent national spokesperson of the TMC for 13 years. He was a vocal defender of the party on national and local news platforms. He often engaged in heated debates with opposition leaders on television.
Dutta has also been active on social media platforms including X (formerly Twitter) and Facebook. He rose through the ranks without family political ties, as he himself emphasized.
Suspension order
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Riju Dutta was suspended from the TMC for six years for serious breach of discipline and failure to appear before the party’s disciplinary committee. This comes after public statements that embarrassed the party leadership, including an apology to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Riju Dutta said on social media that he was suspended for “speaking the truth” after devoting 13 years to the party. He also disputed the party’s non-response claim, stating that he sent a written response before the suspension notice was issued.
The suspension was prompted by Riju Dutta’s public video apology to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders for past remarks. He also praised the BJP for extending support to him and said his own party leaders were unresponsive during the difficult period.
The TMC was quick to distance itself from Riju Dutta’s remarks and apology to Suvendu Adhikari. His subsequent expulsion for breach of discipline indicates that the party did not support his actions or statements.
During the six-year suspension, Riju Dutta is stripped of all party functions, responsibilities and privileges. Impersonation of any TMC member is prohibited and the party reserves the right to take further action.
The party issued a notice to Dutt on May 8 regarding the anti-party statements. In the notice, he was asked to explain why disciplinary proceedings should not be initiated. The party claims that he did not provide any explanation within the stipulated period.
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Dutta then communicated via WhatsApp and asked for time to meet the disciplinary committee. The committee gave him a seat on May 8 at 3:00 PM at Trinamool Bhavan. The committee members waited till 5:00 pm but Dutta did not turn up.
The party concluded that his behavior constituted a “breach of discipline” under its party rules. He was stripped of all functions, responsibilities and party privileges.
During the six-year suspension, he cannot represent himself as any party member. The Party also reserves the right to take further action as it deems appropriate.
Which caused controversy
The suspension follows a series of public statements that deeply embarrassed the TMC leadership. After the 2026 West Bengal elections, in which the BJP won 207 seats and the TMC only 80, Dutta took a strikingly different public stance.
He released a public video apologizing to BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari and other BJP leaders for past “offensive” remarks. He claimed that he was under intense pressure and threats from within the TMC to make these remarks.
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He also publicly praised the BJP for giving him protection and support. He said his own party leaders did not respond to his calls during this difficult period. The TMC was quick to distance itself from his remarks.
Answer by Riju Dutta
Riju Dutta took to social media immediately after the suspension order became public. He wrote that after giving 13 years of his youth to the party, he was suspended for “speaking the truth”.
“Why? Because I was telling the truth,” he wrote.
Dutta contested the party’s claim that he did not respond to the notice. According to Dutta, he submitted his written reply at Trinamool Bhavan on May 9 at 11:27 am.
He suggested that the notice of suspension was written before his reply was even read. Defiantly, he logged off and wrote: “Thank you All India Trinamool Congress! I, I promise, ‘WILL BE BACK’!!”
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Riju Dutta had earlier congratulated the new sworn-in Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari. In a lengthy post, he outlined his expectations from the new government.
On May 7, he wrote: “Planning a sabbatical for self-development and higher studies!”
Trinamool announces leaders
Meanwhile, Trinamool has announced its assembly leaders. Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay was appointed Leader of the Opposition. The veteran TMC leader won by 61,476 votes against his nearest opposition, BJP’s Shatorup.
Asima Patra and Nayna Bandyopadhyay will be the Deputy Leaders of the Opposition. Firhad Hakim, Mayor of Calcutta, was appointed Chief Whip.
