New Delhi: The political churn within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) intensified on Tuesday as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla indicated that any decision regarding the party’s breakaway MPs will be taken only after hearing all concerned parties. According to sources, the Speaker’s office has written to the group of TMC MPs aligned with West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, asking them to attend a meeting and present their position before any ruling is made.
The development comes after a faction of around 20 TMC MPs reportedly met the Speaker earlier and submitted a letter seeking recognition of their group and requesting its merger with another political formation, the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).
The Speaker is expected to follow due procedure by hearing both the original party leadership and the breakaway group before arriving at a decision on recognition or merger. He is also likely to seek a legal opinion on the issue. A decision on this is likely before the Parliament Monsoon Session, which usually commences in the third week of July.
Fissure widens in TMC
The development has added fresh momentum to an already widening split within the TMC across multiple legislatures.
In the West Bengal Assembly, a parallel faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee is said to have emerged with support from 64 MLAs. The Assembly Speaker has reportedly recognised him as the Leader of the Opposition, marking a significant political realignment within the state unit.
In the Lok Sabha, the breakaway group of over 20 MPs is being led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who have collectively sought formal recognition of their faction. Meanwhile, senior party leader Abhishek Banerjee has written to the Speaker urging that the group not be accorded recognition.
Earlier, Kakoli said the faction will extend its support to the BJP-led NDA.
In the Rajya Sabha, the turbulence continues as four TMC MPs have already resigned, further signalling internal strain within the party’s parliamentary presence.
Mamata’s party symbol and assets are also at stake, as Sudip Bandopadhyay, who was her close aide once, stated that their faction would pursue a legal battle in this regard once the Speaker announces the decision.
