Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and six-time MP Sudeep Bandyopadhyay met Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Bhupinder Yadav in Delhi on Saturday, sparking speculation that another Lok Sabha MP might join the party’s rebel group.
According to people familiar with the matter, Bandyopadhyay, accompanied by dissident MP Satabdi Roy, met Yadav amid reports that the rebel group may meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as a separate parliamentary group.
Hours after the meeting, the TMC removed Bandyopadhyay from the post of North Kolkata organizational district president, replacing him with party spokesperson Kunal Ghosh. TMC MP Saayoni Ghosh, who was president of the state TMC Youth Congress, has also been replaced by Arnab Banerjee.
In a late night development, former minister Manas Ranjan Bhunia resigned from the TMC.
The TMC’s defeat in the Assembly elections precipitated a revolt within the party as many leaders claimed that their views and proposals were ignored. Many blamed Abhishek Banerjee.
One of the people familiar with the details said: “The rebel MPs are relying on their legislative strength both in the Assembly and in Parliament to demand recognition as the true TMC. Of course, the Speaker’s decision will be final…”
The group is also scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Sunday, one of the people cited above said.
HT reported on Friday that the letter, dated May 18, was signed by 19 MPs; Interestingly, the serial numbers of the two signatories are from 1 to 20, with no signature corresponding to the number 13. It is not yet known whether Bandopadhyay signed the letter to become the twentieth name on the list. Hizb ut Tahrir has not seen a copy of the letter, and the Office of the Speaker of Parliament has not yet confirmed its receipt.
According to people familiar with the details, according to procedures, the Speaker will receive a call upon the request to identify the rebel group as the original TMC; Part of this involves meeting with them face to face. There are 28 TMC legislators in the Lok Sabha, including Abhishek Banerjee, the MP from Diamond Harbor who is also the party president and nephew of former Prime Minister Mamata Banerjee.
Bandyopadhyay’s move sparked sharp reactions from TMC leaders in Kolkata who remain loyal to party president Mamata Banerjee, amid sarcastic statements from BJP leaders who switched camps from the TMC after disagreements with the party leadership.
“Mamata has given these people positions and honour. In return they do it. Sudip Bandyopadhyay has a history of changing political camps. We have warned Mamata De time and again. He is misleading Mamata De just to run his programme. I was once suspended for speaking out against him. I have now been proven right,” Kunal Ghosh, TMC spokesperson, told the media.
A Lok Sabha MP from the prestigious Kolkata Uttar seat, Bandyopadhyay, remains one of the TMC’s senior parliamentarians and has long been seen as a key bridge between the party leadership and the political establishment in Delhi. According to a section of TMC leaders, Bandyopadhya’s exit will be a big blow to Mamata Banerjee.
“What can I do? I spoke to him 3-4 days ago and he assured me that he is not going anywhere. He said that if he does anything, we will do it together. But then he went to Bhupinder Yadav’s residence,” TMC MP Sujata Roy told the media, adding that he felt sad over Bandyopadhyay’s move.
But Bengali minister and BJP legislator Tapas Roy said Bandyopadhyay “did not do anything for the party”. “He (Bandyopadhyay) was never loyal. He is not a political element. He climbed the ladder with the support of Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, former Union minister and Mamata Banerjee. He did not do anything for the party. Now Mamata Banerjee is starting to know who loves her. I am very happy with what is happening,” he said.
Of the 28 Lok Sabha MPs, 19 rallied together to press for a separate parliamentary group in the House and in the Assembly, 64 of the 80 lawmakers, led by Ritabrata Banerjee, rebelled against party chief Mamata Banerjee’s decision to appoint Suvandeep Chattopadhyay as leader of the opposition.
In the Rajya Sabha, the number of TMC seats came down from 13 to 10 with the resignation of three MPs – Sukhendu Sekhar Rai, Sushmita Dave and Prakash Shek Barak.
