Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s political woes seem far from over as her party may be looking at a repeat of a rebellion, like the one in the West Bengal legislative assembly, in the Parliament as well.
Speculation is rife that a section of the members of Parliament of Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress, in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, is maybe preparing for a similar move as the one pulled by the TMC MLAs, reported news agency PTI. Going against Mamata, around 60 MLAs out of the TMC’s total 80 in West Bengal backed expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly.
TMC’s veteran Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy has warned that the party’s parliamentary ranks may be looking at a similar move too. “I have never seen around 60 MLAs leave in such a short span of time. A similar reaction is likely in the Lok Sabha too,” PTI quoted him as saying.
While answering whether there is a possibility of such a move happening in Rajya Sabha, Roy did not give a clear answer but hinted that it could not be ruled out, the PTI report said.
{{/usCountry}}While answering whether there is a possibility of such a move happening in Rajya Sabha, Roy did not give a clear answer but hinted that it could not be ruled out, the PTI report said.
{{/usCountry}}However, another MP of the party painted a different picture and said that what happened in the West Bengal state assembly was just a temporary setback for Banerjee and that the party was not on the verge of collapse.
"The BJP may try an operation in the TMC's Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha wings, similar to what happened in the West Bengal Assembly. But Mamata Banerjee has fought bigger battles and will bounce back," TMC MP Sougata Roy said.
Mamata Banerjee founded TMC after separating from the Congress in 1998. Ever since, the party has been a major force in West Bengal with Banerjee at its centre. However, what is happening currently is probably the first time she is facing a public rebellion by her own party members at such a scale. Even those considered her loyalists, such as Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, have come out in the open to express their dissent against the party leadership.
Also read: 'Mamata not merely an adviser': Dissent grows in rebel TMC camp after Ritabrata Banerjee's proposal
Mamata still enjoys loyalty among rebels
Even though the rebel TMC MLAs, led by Ritabrata, defied Mamata Banerjee to back him as the LoP in Bengal assembly, they still see the party supremo as a towering figure and wish to work under her leadership.
When Ritabrata on Thursday reportedly suggested during a meeting that Mamata could serve as the "chief adviser" of the reconstituted legislature party, several of the rebel MLAs were not comfortable.
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"We were told that the party would continue under Mamata Banerjee's leadership. She is not merely an adviser. We want the party to function under her leadership," rebel MLA Gulshan Mullick told news agency PTI after the meeting.
"If Mamata Banerjee is not accepted as the supreme leader, then we will have to think whether we should remain in this bloc or not," he added..
Sangeeta Roy Basunia, another rebel MLA, also said that Mamata was their “supreme leader” and will remain so. “She cannot be an adviser. She is our leader," Basunia said.
This reflects the loyalty Mamata still enjoys within the party, even though there may be disagreements over her nephew Abhishek Banerjee’s influence over the functioning of the legislature party.
Also read: Mamata Banerjee anticipated TMC crisis, say leaders as more members quit
Mamata reaching out to rebel MLAs?
In an attempt to not let the situation get more out of hand, Mamata has spoken to several MLAs and MPs of her party to reopen communication with the dissidents, PTI reported citing senior TMC leaders.
The sources also mentioned that such efforts are also underway in Parliament as well to avoid the spilling of the rebellion in Delhi.
Trinamool Congress currently has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 13 in the Rajya Sabha. According to the report, two trusted MPs, one in each house of the Parliament, have been tasked to reach out to their party colleagues.
Meanwhile, TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee said on Friday that the party will approach the court on Monday against the appointment of Ritabrata Banerjee as the LoP in West Bengal legislative assembly, terming it “illegal”.
“We will file a petition before the high court," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)