TMC split widens: Saayoni Ghosh, Shatrughan Sinha join rebel camp? Here’s what we know | Today’s news
The infighting in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) continues to come to light every day as its MPs and MLAs keep deserting supremo Mamata Banerjee and second-in-command Abhishek Banerjee following the party’s defeat in the assembly elections that saw the BJP come to power in West Bengal for the first time with a landslide.
As many as 58-60 MLAs out of their 80 in the West Bengal Assembly have already announced that they have elected Ritabrat Banerjee as their Leader in the House, going against the Mamata-Abhishek decision to elect party veteran Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition (LoP). The West Bengal Assembly Speaker also granted the group official opposition status in the House and vacated the office of LoP for Ritabrata.
The TMC is facing a similar situation in New Delhi too after their MLAs abandoned ship. Around 19 MPs (out of their 29) decided to quit the party and support the NDA. A meeting of 13 TMC MPs (led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar) and Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari was held in New Delhi on Tuesday.
On Monday, Ghosh Dastidar told PTI that she along with 19 other TMC MPs had decided to break away from the party and extend support to the NDA.
Two more TMC Rajya Sabha MPs, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev, resigned from their posts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Saayoni changing camp?
Saayoni Ghosh, TMC MP from Jdavapur, is considered one of Mamata’s fiercest supporters. Ghosh published a lengthy post accepting the mandate and expressing her continued support for her leader on May 4, the day the TMC lost power in the state after a continuous 15-year rule.
However, while Mamata and Abhishek continue to be abandoned by their loyalists, PTI reported on Wednesday that Ghosh has also abandoned the aunt-nephew duo and added her name to the list of rebel MPs along with Kolkata MP Mala Roy.
Apart from Ray and Ghosh Dastidar, other members of the TMC rebel camp are MPs Abu Taher, Asit Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Kalipada Soren, Jagadish Basunia, Prasun Banerjee, Sharmila Sarkar, Satabdi Roy, Yusuf Pathan, June Malia, Khalilur Rahaman, Ad Bapiana Bagi Partha, Raha Bhowmick.
Bollywood star Shatrughan Sinha is yet to clarify his stand on the matter. Citing sources in the TMC, PTI said it plans to stand by Mamata Banerjee. Even former cricketer Kirti Azad decided to stand by Banerjee in her plight.
Yusuf Pathan reportedly met Amit Shah in Delhi this week, prompting a public rebuke from Mahua Moitra on social media.
Will Mamata-Abhishek join Congress?
After a meeting between Mamata Banerjee and Sonia Gandhi that was followed by Rahul Gandhi and Abhishek Banerjee on Wednesday, some are speculating that Banerjee may merge the TMC unit under her with the Congress, the same party from which she broke away in 1998 to form the TMC. Neither party has officially commented on this matter.
On the other hand, rebel MLA leader Ritabrata Banerjee said that his faction is not planning any tie-up with the Congress and that he himself is the real TMC.
“We are the real Trinamool Congress. We are not merging with the Congress,” he said in Kolkata.
