TMC rebel MPs to seek recognition as main party from LS Speaker
The Trinamool Congress ran into more trouble on Friday as dissident MPs, claiming support from 19 Lok Sabha members, said they would seek recognition from Speaker Om Birla next week as the main TMC parliamentary group. The party, led by Mamata Banerjee, dismissed the move, citing the anti-defection law.
Rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said the group had already sent a letter to the Speaker and would officially present its claim on Monday.
Basunia said the group has already submitted the letter and will present its claim to the Speaker on Monday. He said they started collecting signatures on June 8, and 19 MPs have signed the letter. Sources said the exact time for the meeting with the Speaker was still undecided.
The TMC said the dissidents’ claim is not legally valid. Party MP Mahua Moitra said the 91st Amendment to the Constitution removed the option for a split, so lawmakers who want to leave a party must merge with another political party.
This situation comes as the TMC continues to face internal problems that started after its loss in the West Bengal assembly elections and have now reached Parliament. During the turmoil, a list reportedly including 19 TMC Lok Sabha MPs was shared online.
The letter to Birla has not been made public, and while dissident TMC leaders say it backs their claim, it has not been independently verified.
The list is said to include Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia, and Partha Bhowmick.
TMC MP Kirti Azad alleged that the BJP is trying to cause defections through Operation Lotus and said attempts to split the party have failed.
He cited a visit by Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik to BJP leader Nishikant Dubey’s residence, a meeting of dissident MPs at Union minister Bhupender Yadav’s residence, and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari’s visit to TMC MP Satabdi Roy’s residence as evidence of an organised effort to weaken the party.
Baraik became the third TMC parliamentarian this week to quit both the party and the Rajya Sabha, after Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev.
The crisis has also revealed divisions within the party.
On Thursday, senior TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee criticised national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and said he would remain in the party only if Abhishek is removed from all leadership positions.
At the same time, Basunia supported Kalyan Banerjee’s criticism of Abhishek Banerjee and pushed back against Azad’s claim that dissident MPs were being paid to change sides.
Basunia called Kirti Azad a liar and said it was wrong to make such allegations. He said there are 19 MPs and that Azad is also an MP, so the claim is unjustified.
The turmoil has also led to changes in the party’s setup in Delhi. The TMC has moved its operations from 20, Rajendra Prasad Road back to the residence of Rajya Sabha MP Md Nadimul Haque at 61, South Avenue.
Bhowmick, one of the MPs linked to the dissident group, gave up his bungalow and asked for a flat instead, according to sources. The West Bengal-based party has seen several departures this week, with three Rajya Sabha MPs —Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik — resigning from the party.
However, Lok Sabha MPs Sougata Roy, Shatrughan Sinha, and Pratima Mondal, along with Rajya Sabha MP Babul Supriyo, have denied being part of any dissident group and said they will stay with the party.
