After Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev left the Trinamool Congress earlier today, West Bengal Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee hinted at more resignations in the party.
Dev was the second MP in the Upper House to resign from the party, after veteran leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray. Meanwhile, who is among the 58 MLAs who had rebelled in West Bengal, signalled that discontent was brewing within the party.
“People are thinking about resigning because of the situation within the party…In Parliament, especially in the Rajya Sabha, there are certain individuals trying to run the organisation like a circus," Ritabrata said, naming TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. He said there was “more conflict than unity” in the organisation under Abhishek, who is also Mamata's nephew.
Ritabrata and the other MLAs who rebelled against TMC have earlier expressed their disagreements with Abhishek, a Lok Sabha MP from Diamond Harbour. “…We are not circus animals. As far as I know, following Sushmita Dev’s resignation, several others are also likely to resign,” Ritabrata said.
‘More than two-third MPs to form separate bloc’
The Bengal LoP also claimed that more than two-thirds of TMC MPs in Lok Sabha have reportedly decided to “form a separate bloc against the authoritarian style functioning in the party.” This comes even as rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that a faction of 20 MPs has formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements.
"We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction with the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal," Ghosh told ANI news agency
He further said that there may be differences with “the decisions being taken by some members of the legislative party.” “…But anyone raising their voice against dictatorship and in favour of democracy deserves support...” Ritabrata told PTI.
Meanwhile, reports of a TMC and Congress merger were dismissed earlier today, with people familiar with the matter calling them baseless. They said there was no proposal under consideration for the parties to merge, but sources indicated that the door remained open for an alliance. The speculations started doing the rounds after TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's meeting with Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. Ritabrata said the dissident camp was the “real TMC” and said they had no plans to merge with Congress
Abhishek Banerjee also met Congress leader and Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi. Both Mamata and Abhishek visited Delhi to attend the INDIA bloc meeting.