The Trinamool Congress is facing a big crisis, both in West Bengal and in Parliament with leaders uniting to break away and form their own faction. Amid mounting worries for former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, an expelled leader claimed that the strength of rebel MLAs willing to split away has now grown to 64.
Meanwhile, a police team accompanied by central security forces arrived at TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata late at night and conducted a four-hour raid on Saturday. The development came amid rising dissent within the party against Mamata’s nephew.
The developments have added to worries of a TMC split. Buzz grew stronger on Friday after a letter with signatures from 19 rebel MPs emerged, with some claiming they forwarded it to the Speaker. However, the Speaker’s office has not confirmed receipt of the letter yet.
Full list of MPs on list of rebels
The letter that surfaced on Friday was dated May 18, days after the TMC was dealt a crushing blow in the Assembly elections and Mamata Banerjee’s uninterrupted reign as chief minister came to an end.
There were 19 signatures on the letter, but the serial numbers were 20, triggering speculation that a multi-term MP could be the 20th to align with the rebel group.
Here’s a list of names on the list:
1. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
2. Satabdi Roy
3. Bapi Haldar
4. Sharmila Sarkar
5. Prasun Bandyopadhyay
6. Jagadish Barma Basunia
7. Asit Kumar Mal
8. Arup Chakraborty
9. Rachna Banerjee
10. Saayoni Ghosh
11. Khalilur Rahaman
12. Abu Taher Khan
13. Yusuf Pathan
14. Mitali Bag
15. Mala Roy
16. Kalipada Soren
17. Deepak Adhikari
18. June Malia
19. Partha Bhowmick
Do rebels want to merge with BJP?
There is no clarity on whether the faction wanting to split wants to merge with the BJP or not. “So far, these MPs have only indicated that they want to be seen as a separate parliamentary group,” a person familiar with the developments told HT. However, some leaders, like Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta have said the rebels wish to support the NDA.
“As far as I know, these MPs are likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, and a major meeting is scheduled for Sunday, which, according to my information, the Chief Minister of Bengal might also attend,” Dutta told news agency ANI on Friday.
According to provision, if at least two-thirds of a party’s legislators agree to merge with another party, they are protected. This is where the number 19 holds importance, because it decides whether the rebels can switch sides.
Rebel MLAs now 64 strong
Just as the TMC is trying to cope with a possible split in the Lok Sabha, the rebellion is also growing back in Bengal. According to expelled Trinamool leader Sandipan Saha, the number of rebels has grown to 64 from 58 in a matter of days. “We did not think that so many MLAs would join us…,” Saha told ANI.
As reported by HT earlier, 58 Trinamool legislators in Bengal had written to Mamata Banerjee, asking her to be their chief adviser as they staked claim to become the principal opposition party in the Bengal assembly.
The faction had raised strong reservations with Abhishek Banerjee’s leadership, saying they would have no interaction with Mamata’s nephew. “We are the real TMC now in the assembly,” said Ritabrata Banerjee, who is leading the rebel team of MLAs.
4-hour raid at Abhishek Banerjee’s home
A large contingent of police personnel from Kolkata Police’s Kalighat Police Station and Shalboni Police Station, accompanied by central security forces, arrived at the residence of Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday morning.
According to PTI, Banerjee’s home was raided for four hours, starting 3am on Saturday. He later alleged that police personnel had forcibly entered the residence after breaking open a lock and searched the entire premises. “They broke the lock and searched the entire house,” he told reporters.
Voices within the TMC have expressed strong displeasure against Abhishek over the past few days. He is also at the centre of the alleged forged signatures scandal, for which he also appeared before the CID recently.
After documents were submitted to the West Bengal Assembly on the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition and the party’s chief whip, some legislators claimed that signatures of some members were either forged or placed without consent.
Bhaipo reacts to Kalyan Banerjee’s remarks
Abhishek Banerjee reportedly reacted to remarks by senior TMC Kalyan Banerjee, who called him “arrogant” recently. Abhishek Banerjee said: “Kalyan Banerjee is older than me. He has the right to express his views. He has seen me since my childhood. I won’t speak anything against him.”
The response came days after Kalyan Banerjee said he has asked Mamata to make a choice between her nephew and him.
Kalyan had said that while he supports Didi, he doesn’t feel the same about her bhaipo. “I am still with Didi but won’t tolerate Abhishek Banerjee’s arrogance. I have quit all cases related to Banerjee,” Kalyan Banerjee said.
