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The developments unfolded just hours after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, rebel Trinamool MP, is leading the group of 20 MPs who wish to join the NDA and have submitted a letter with their signatures to Om Birla. (IMAGE: PTI FILE)
At least 20 dissident Trinamool Congress MPs on Monday submitted a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking to join the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). According to sources who spoke to CNN-News18, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar will lead the breakaway faction.
Dastidar indicated that the split was driven by the outcome of the recent Assembly elections. “We accepted the poll verdict in Bengal. We believe our future political course should be aligned with the NDA,” she said.
The regional party has been witnessing growing intra-party rifts and defections following its defeat in the Assembly elections, which saw West Bengal elect its first Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, once a close aide of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
The move comes after Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Shekhar Ray submitted his resignation earlier on Monday. The developments unfolded just hours after Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting.
The developments also highlighted the deepening divide within the party. While TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and several senior leaders attended the INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club, the rebel MPs gathered at the Motilal Nehru Marg residence of Union Minister and BJP’s West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav.
Sources said around 20 MPs, along with Ray, attended the meeting at Yadav’s residence, which was also attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
With 20 MPs backing the move, the dissident camp appears to have crossed the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law’s merger provision. If recognised by parliamentary authorities, the group could seek protection from disqualification under the Tenth Schedule.
Sources told News18 that rebel MPs Prasun Banerjee (Howrah), Sharmila Sarkar (Bardhaman Purba), Jagadish Chandra Basunia (Cooch Behar), Arup Chakraborty (Bankura), Kalipada Soren (Jhargram) and Asit Mal (Bolpur) attended the meeting. At the time of writing this report, sources said Bapi Haldar (Mathurapur) had also joined the gathering.
The rebels also ignored calls from fellow MP Abhishek Banerjee, sources said.
Several of the MPs attending the meeting represent constituencies spread across politically significant regions of the state, including north Bengal, Junglemahal and south Bengal. Among them are MPs from Cooch Behar, Bankura and Jhargram, areas where the BJP has expanded its footprint in recent years. The geographical spread of the dissident camp suggests that the unrest within the TMC is not confined to a single faction or region.
The parliamentary revolt comes shortly after Ritabrata Banerjee led a rebellion within the TMC’s legislative wing and was recognised as the Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly by Speaker Rathindra Bose after securing the support of 58 of the party’s 80 MLAs.
Banerjee said he expects more parliamentarians to publicly distance themselves from the party in the coming days.
About the Author
Kamalika Sengupta is the Editor (East) at CNN-News18 / News18.com, focusing on politics, defence, and women’s issues. She is a seasoned multimedia journalist with over 20 years of experience reporting…Read More
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