Amid the widening rebellion within the Trinamool Congress, party leader and Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra insisted that the mood in the party remains upbeat, describing the ongoing exodus as a process of “purification”. She said party president Mamata Banerjee values loyalty and that those who fundamentally oppose the BJP will not abandon her or the TMC.
“In some ways, we are actually happy that Shuddhi Karan, the purge, is happening. Mamata Di, with all her instincts, with all her drive, is a very passionate person with a great deal of affection and long-term loyalty,” Moitra said in an exclusive interview with HT.
Mahua also said that the incident served as a lesson for the party, suggesting that Banerjee should have cut ties with some leaders much earlier. “Yes, that’s the lesson. She did her best to do all these things because she came from the grassroots and has that connection. Mamata Banerjee built this party. She didn’t inherit it. So you have to take the good, the bad and the ugly with her,” she said.
Read Mahua Moitra’s exclusive interview with HT here
Her statements come at a time when the Trinamool Congress is facing a major internal crisis. At least 58 MLAs reportedly turned rebellious and demanded to become the main opposition bloc in West Bengal. Adding to the party’s woes, MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed that nearly 20 TMC MPs have decided to support the BJP-led NDA in Lok Sabha.
In another setback for the party, Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the TMC on Wednesday and later met Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma. Dev said she wants to play politics in Assam and has been inspired by the current chief minister of the state.
Read also | TMC setback: Sukhendu Sekhar Rai resigns as Rajya Sabha MP and leaves the party
Before Dev’s exit, former Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy resigned from the Senate and announced his exit from TMC on June 8. Describing Roy as a “political opportunist”, Mahua said he was accommodated in the Rajya Sabha at the behest of the late Pranab Mukherjee after the Congress deprived him of his seat.
However, Marwa refrained from using the same term for her friend Dave. Asked whether Dave’s move could be seen as political opportunism, Mahua said that only she could answer that question.
“You have to ask her this question. Sushmita Dev is a friend of mine. I won’t say anything about her reasons. You have to ask her yourself,” Mahua told HT.
