It seems that former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s political woes are far from over, as her party may be eyeing a repeat of the mutiny, like the one that took place in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, and in Parliament as well.
There is speculation that a section of Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress MPs, in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, may be preparing a move similar to the one pulled by the TMC MLAs, news agency PTI reported. Opposing Mamata, around 60 MLAs out of the total 80 TMCs in West Bengal supported the expulsion of MLA Ritabrata Banerjee from the post of Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.
Veteran Rajya Sabha MP from TMC, Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, warned that the party’s parliamentary ranks may be eyeing a similar move as well. “I have never seen around 60 MLAs leaving in such a short period of time. It is likely that there will be a similar reaction in the Lok Sabha as well,” he was quoted as saying by PTI.
While answering whether there was a possibility of such a move happening in the Rajya Sabha, Roy did not give a clear answer but hinted that it could not be ruled out, the agency report said.
However, another MP from the party painted a different picture and said that what happened in the West Bengal Assembly was just a temporary setback for Banerjee and that the party was not about to collapse.
“The BJP may try to make a run in TMC’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha wings, similar to what happened in the West Bengal Assembly. But Mamata Banerjee has put up bigger fights and will bounce back,” TMC MP Sujata Roy said.
Mamata Banerjee founded TMC after separating from the Congress party in 1998. Since then, the party has become a major force in West Bengal with Banerjee at its centre. However, what is currently happening is likely the first time she has faced a public rebellion by members of her own party on this scale. Even those considered to be her loyalists, such as Barasat Kakoli MP Ghosh Dastidar, have come out publicly to voice their opposition to the party leadership.
Also Read: ‘Mamata is not just an advisor’: Opposition grows in TMC rebel camp after Ritabrata Banerjee’s proposal
Mamata still enjoys loyalty among the rebels
Although the rebellious TMC MLAs, led by Ritabrata, have challenged Mamata Banerjee to support him as LoP in the Bengal Assembly, they still view the party supremo as a prominent figure and want to work under her leadership.
When Ritabrata on Thursday suggested during a meeting that Mamata could be the “chief advisor” to the reconstituted Legislative Party, many members of the rebel Legislative Council were not relieved.
Also read: Abhishek Banerjee remains TMC general secretary, but with two joint secretaries
“We were told that the party will continue under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. She is not just an advisor. We want the party to work under her leadership,” rebel Gulshan Mullick told news agency PTI after the meeting.
“If Mamata Banerjee is not accepted as supreme leader, we will have to think whether we should remain in this bloc or not,” he added.
Sangeeta Roy Basonia, another SLM rebel, also said that Mamata was their “supreme leader” and would continue to be so. “She can’t be a counselor. She’s our leader,” Basonia said.
This reflects the loyalty Mamata still has within the party, despite the possibility of disagreements over her nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s influence on the party’s legislative work.
Also Read: Mamata Banerjee predicted TMC crisis, leaders say as more members resign
Mamata reaching out to rebel MLAs?
In a bid not to let the situation get out of control, Mamata spoke to several TMC members and MPs from her party to reopen communication with dissidents, PTI reported, citing senior TMC leaders.
Sources also said that such efforts are also underway in Parliament to avoid the spread of insurgency in Delhi.
The Trinamool Congress currently has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. According to the report, two trusted members of parliament, one in each house of parliament, have been tasked with communicating with their party colleagues.
Meanwhile, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Friday that the party will approach the court on Monday against the appointment of Ritabrata Banerjee as Member of Parliament in the West Bengal Legislative Assembly, terming it “illegal”.
He added: “We will file a petition before the Supreme Court.”
(With inputs from PTI)
