Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra took a swipe at senior party leader and Kolkata North MP Sudeep Bandyopadhyay on Sunday, accusing him of misleading the party about his location before he was spotted at Union Environment Minister Bhupinder Yadav’s residence in New Delhi.
People familiar with the developments said Bandyopadhyay, along with dissident MP Satabdi Roy, met Yadav amid growing speculation that the rebel faction may approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as a separate parliamentary group, HT reported earlier.
Mahua Moitra, Kunal Ghosh Jap’s fellow TMC leader
In a post on X, Moitra claimed that Bandyopadhyay told party leaders that he had gone to a hospital in Kolkata due to a stomach problem. He was later seen on television at the Union Minister’s residence in Delhi, she said.
“His mask and wig have fallen off – Sudip Bandyopadhyay told us he was at Apollo Kolkata suffering from a stomach bug when we suddenly saw him on TV in Delhi at Bhupinder Yadav’s house. Dada please change your X handle to at least @SudipBJPBTeam. Don’t use our name,” she wrote on X.
Apart from Moitra, TMC leader Kunal Ghosh also took a swipe at Bandyopadhyay, referring to what he described as the MP’s past record of switching political parties. He said former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee gave him “positions and honours”.
“Mamata Didi gave positions and honors to these people, and this is what these people are giving in return. Sudip Bandyopadhyay has a history of changing parties,” he said.
He also claimed that Bandyopadhyay built his political career by misleading Mamata and said that he had previously raised concerns about him within the party.
Another TMC MP meets the Union Minister
Six-time MP Sudeep Bandyopadhyay met BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupinder Yadav in Delhi on Saturday, raising speculation that another Lok Sabha MP might join the rebel camp.
A person familiar with the matter said: “The rebel MPs are relying on their legislative strength in both the Assembly as well as Parliament to demand recognition as the true TMC. Naturally, the Speaker’s decision will be final…” a person familiar with the matter said.
A few hours after the meeting, the TMC removed Bandyopadhyay from the post of North Kolkata organizational district president and appointed party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh in his place.
Of the party’s 28 members of Parliament, 19 MPs have so far come together to support the formation of a separate parliamentary group in the House of Representatives.
In the West Bengal Assembly, 64 of the 80 MLAs, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, opposed party chief Mamata Banerjee’s decision to appoint Suvandeep Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition.
With inputs from HT reporters
