Days after the party faced a revolt, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee visited Delhi on Saturday, amid fears that division in the party’s ranks could reach Parliament. Abhishek’s visit came a day before TMC chief Mamata Banerjee visits the national capital to attend the India bloc meeting.
While Mamata and Abhishek were earlier scheduled to travel to Delhi at the same time to attend the opposition alliance meeting as per the original schedule, the latter arrived in the capital the previous day.
While no official reason has been given for the visit, leaders and observers view it as a possible attempt by senior TMC officials to assess the situation ahead of the India bloc meeting.
“I don’t know why Abhishek is going to Delhi today. I’m not in Delhi or Kolkata now. I haven’t heard about any meeting,” news agency PTI quoted a TMC MP, who requested anonymity, as saying.
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TMC MLAs split, clamor about repeat mutiny in Parliament
While the TMC won 80 of the 294 seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections, 58 parties openly rebelled earlier this week. The MLAs bet on becoming the main opposition party in Bengal, splitting the party vertically. Moreover, when the party leadership called a meeting at President Mamata’s residence on Friday, only eight non-rebel MLAs showed up.
The MLAs’ revolt is being led by now-expelled party legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, who said after meeting the Assembly Speaker on Wednesday that he has been appointed Leader of the Opposition in the House. Post-secession, the rebels said they would ask Mamata to be their “chief advisor”, but would not interact with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Now, the party’s crisis may deepen, with speculation rife that a section of TMC leaders from the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may be planning a similar move.
“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,” news agency PTI quoted TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy as saying. However, another party MP denied the allegations, saying the split of MLAs was a temporary setback.
“The BJP may try to make a run in the TMC’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha wings, similar to what happened in the West Bengal Assembly. But Mamata Banerjee has fought bigger battles and she will bounce back,” TMC MP Sujata Roy said.
