The Trinamool Congress is facing a major crisis, both in West Bengal and in Parliament, as leaders unite to break away and form their own faction. Amid growing concerns over former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, an ousted leader has claimed that the strength of the rebel MLA wanting to secede has now increased to 64.
Meanwhile, a police team accompanied by Central Security Forces reached TMC Secretary General Abhishek Banerjee’s residence in Kolkata late at night and conducted a four-hour raid on Saturday. This development came amid growing opposition within the party against Mamata’s nephew.
The developments increased concerns about the division of the Transitional Military Council. The uproar increased on Friday after a letter bearing the signatures of 19 rebel MPs appeared, with some claiming to have sent it to the Speaker of Parliament. However, the Office of the Speaker of Parliament has not yet confirmed receipt of the letter.
Complete list of MPs on the rebel list
The message that appeared on Friday was dated May 18, days after the TMC suffered a landslide in the assembly elections and Mamata Banerjee’s uninterrupted reign as prime minister came to an end.
There were 19 signatures on the letter, but the serial numbers were 20, sparking speculation that the MP who has held multiple positions could be the 20th to join the rebel group.
Here is the list of names on the list:
1. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
2. Satabdi Roy
3. Babi Haldar
4. Sharmila Sarkar
5. Prasoon Bandyopadhyay
6. Jagadish Parma Basonia
7. Asit Kumar Mal
8. Arup Chakraborty
9. Banerjee’s success
10. Sayoni Ghosh
11. Khalil Rahman
12. Abu Taher Khan
13. Yusuf Pathan
14. Mitali bag
15. Mala Roy
16. Kalipada Surin
17. Deepak Adhikari
18. June Malia
19. Partha Bhowmik
Do the rebels want to merge with the BJP?
There is no clarity on whether the faction wanting to split wants to merge with the BJP or not. “So far, these MPs have only indicated that they want to be seen as a separate parliamentary group,” a person aware of the developments told HT. However, some leaders, such as Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta, said the rebels wanted to support the NDA.
“As far as I know, these MPs are likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, and a big meeting is scheduled on Sunday, which, as per my information, the Bengal Chief Minister may also attend,” Dutta told the news agency. that I Friday.
According to the article, if at least two-thirds of legislators affiliated with one party agree to merge with another party, they are protected. Here lies the importance of the number 19, because it determines whether the rebels can change their position or not.
The number of rebel MLAs is now 64 strong
As the TMC tries to deal with a possible split in the Lok Sabha, rebellion is also growing in Bengal. According to ousted Trinamool leader Sandeepan Saha, the number of rebels rose to 64 from 58 within days. “We did not think that so many MLAs would join us…,” Saha told ANI.
As previously reported by HT, 58 Trinamool legislators in Bengal have written to Mamata Banerjee, asking her to be their chief advisor as they stake a claim on becoming the main opposition party in the Bengal Assembly.
The faction has raised strong reservations with Abhishek Banerjee’s leadership, saying they will not interact with Mamata’s nephew. “We are the real TMC now in the Assembly,” said Ritabrata Banerjee, who leads the rebel team of MLAs.
4-hour raid on Abhishek Banerjee’s house
A large contingent of police personnel from Kolkata Police’s Kalighat Police Station and Shalaboni Police Station, accompanied by Central Security Forces, arrived at MP Abhishek Banerjee’s residence on Saturday morning.
According to PTI, Banerjee’s residence was raided for four hours, starting at 3 am on Saturday. It was later claimed that police forcefully entered the house after breaking the lock and searching the entire building. “They broke the lock and searched the entire house,” he told reporters.
Voices within the TMC have expressed their strong dissatisfaction with Abhishek over the past few days. He is also at the center of the alleged forged signatures scandal, for which he also appeared before the CID recently.
After submitting documents to the West Bengal Assembly regarding the appointment of Leader of Opposition and Chief Whip of the party, some legislators claimed that the signatures of some members were either forged or placed without approval.
Bhaibo responds to Kalyan Banerjee’s statements
Abhishek Banerjee has reportedly responded to the remarks of TMC senior Kalyan Banerjee, who called him “arrogant” recently. Abhishek Banerjee said, “Kalyan Banerjee is older than me. He has the right to express his opinions. He has seen me since my childhood. I will not speak anything against him.”
The response came days after Kalyan Banerjee announced that he had asked Mamata to choose between her nephew and him.
Kalyan said that while he supports Didi, he doesn’t feel the same way about Bhaibo. Kalyan Banerjee said, “I am still with Didi but I will not tolerate Abhishek Banerjee’s arrogance. I have dropped all issues related to Banerjee.”
