Ritabrata Banerjee to be Leader of Opposition? Bengal Speaker accepts rebel TMC group’s claims, says ex-TMC leader | Today’s news
Ousted Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday reportedly said that West Bengal Speaker Rathindra Bose had accepted the rebel group TMC’s demand for legislative party status. The development came against the backdrop of intense defiance in Mamata Banerjee’s party following the “forged signatures” controversy.
In the latest show of rebellion in the Trinamool Congress, several party leaders considered close to chief Mamata Banerjee joined Chief Minister Suvenda Adhikari’s administrative meeting on Wednesday.
Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha, who were expelled from the TMC on June 1 for “anti-party” activities, were also seen at the CM’s administrative meeting. Ritabrata Banerjee has emerged as the key face of what is being called the biggest split in TMC history.
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The incident added a new political layer to the turmoil engulfing the opposition party, which is battling its biggest internal revolt since losing power in West Bengal.
As the party’s legislative wing appeared headed for an unprecedented “split”, TMC MLA Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Kolkata Mayor Firhad Hakim, Ashok Deb and Kunal Ghosh – considered longtime loyalists of Mamata Banerjee – attended an administrative meeting in Nabanna, PTI reported.
The development came hours after 58 dissident TMC MLAs formally endorsed ousted TMC leader Ritabrat Banerjee as the new legislature party leader and communicated their decision to Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose. The Hindustan Times put the number at 59.
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The TMC has 80 MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly. The support of at least 54 MLA parties is required to fully open a separate front.
Earlier in the day, Ritabrata Banerjee, accompanied by another rebel MLA Sandipan Saha and other dissident legislators, met the speaker and presented letters of support reportedly signed by more than 58 MLAs.
The rebel camp also proposed a new leadership structure, appointing Ritabrata Banerjee as legislature party leader, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders and Raghunathganj MLA Akhruzzaman as chief whip.
Read also | Riots in TMC? Mamata Banerjee’s party expels two MLAs – here’s why
Meanwhile, the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) has announced the dissolution of all its committees in West Bengal, along with all front organisations, as part of a major organizational change aimed at restructuring and strengthening the party.
Just a few days earlier, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar along with six party MLAs attended an administrative review meeting convened by Adhikari in Kalyani, sparking speculations of a change in equations in the opposition camp in the wake of the assembly election debacle.
With Wednesday’s Nabanna meeting attracting another batch of TMC leaders, political observers told PTI that the distinction between administrative engagement and political messaging is increasingly blurring in the rapidly evolving post-poll environment in the state.
Read also | Riots in TMC? Mamata Banerjee’s party expels two MLAs – here’s why
Why the fight?
The battle in the TMC started over a fake signature scandal in the party called ‘signgate’, Hindustan Times reported. The matter is related to the appointment of the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.
On 6 May, the TMC recommended the name of MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the post of Leader of Opposition and Chief Whip of the party in the West Bengal state assembly.
Soon after, allegations were made that several signatures of TMC legislators on the submitted documents were either forged or placed without their proper consent, after which Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose refused to accept the recommendation.
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TMC MLA Akhruzzaman on Wednesday said that the party leadership did not follow the procedure for electing the Leader of Opposition.
