West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Friday took stock of her party Trinamool Congress’ organisational shortcomings in Hooghly district, where it suffered a blow in recent parliamentary election, warned party workers against infighting and asked the "traitors" to leave the party rather than weaken it from inside.Mamata held a two-hour closed-door meeting with the party’s district unit leaders after it lost the Hooghly Lok Sabha seat to the Bharatiya Janata Party and just managed to scrape through in Arambagh by a margin of 1,000 votes. In several assembly segments of the district, BJP has taken a lead over Trinamool Congress in the general election. "The party supremo (Mamata) has warned us against infighting and asked us to work unitedly," a senior district Trinamool leader said on the condition of anonymity. "She also said those who are more interested in switching over to BJP are open to leave the party. She said there is no place for traitors in the party," the leader said. The TMC chief also hit out at a section of the party leaders who had "surrendered" to the lure of money given by BJP and told the workers to prepare for 2021 assembly polls. "We have been asked to reach out to the masses and increase connect with them. We have been told to bring back the old-timers to the party fold," the leader said. Banerjee also suggested small meetings and gatherings in areas where the party was defeated in recent elections. "We have been asked to prepare a complete report on the grievances of the masses," the Trinamool leader added.
