TMC turmoil highlights: TMC's Kakoli Ghosh claims around 20 MPs to support NDA

TMC turmoil LIVE: The Trimanool Congress is headed for a split in the Lok Sabha after rebels caused chaos in its ranks in the Bengal Assemble.

Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Monday escalated the internal crisis within her party by announcing that a faction of 20 MPs has formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements.

Speaking to ANI on the development, Ghosh Dastidar said, "We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction of the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal".

Highlighting the faction's motivations, she added, "We are against the lawlessness, misgovernance and unemployment in the state of West Bengal over the past few years."

Kakoli Ghosh has been a confidante of Mamata Banerjee and now believes that 'national interest' has forced her hand in rebelling against her former boss

"Things have been getting from bad to worse, and I have been with Mamata Banerjee for 40 years... It is useless to say that just because she is not in power in West Bengal, I have left. It is not that... In the last 3-4 years, the pressure was too much on the government officers to work according to the whims and fancies of certain leadership... We want to work for the development of the state and for the national interest and the safety and security of the nation. That is why we want to work separately," she said.

via ANI

TMC turmoil LIVE: Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Monday launched a sharp attack on a dissident faction within her party, reacting to reports that a group of TMC MPs may extend support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Reacting to claims that a group of TMC MPs may back the NDA, Moitra asserted that their electoral victories were secured on the strength of the Trinamool Congress mandate.

"MPs won in 2024 on TMC ticket. Mandate was NOT for NDA," Moitra said in a post on X.

Questioning the legitimacy of any attempt to switch sides while retaining their seats, she challenged the rebel MPs to resign and contest fresh elections.

"All the greedy self-serving traitors with yellow-stained pants can please join BJP now--resign your seats & contest on BJP ticket," she remarked.

Moitra further threw down the gauntlet to the dissidents, saying, "Let's see what big heroes you are."

Escalating her attack, Moitra singled out TMC MP Yusuf Pathan, questioning his alleged outreach with the BJP leadership, urging him to "have some spine."

"And @iamyusufpathan you are rushing to Delhi because @AmitShah has called you? Have some courage. You played for India. Our district voted you in with a huge margin. Have some shame & some spine," she said in a different post.

via ANI

TMC turmoil LIVE: Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra rallied behind Mamata Banerjee on Sunday as a revolt deepened in the party's parliamentary ranks. Moitra branded the MPs moving toward the BJP-led NDA as "traitors with yellow-stained pants" and dared them to resign and recontest on a BJP ticket. “MPs won in 2024 on TMC ticket. Mandate was NOT for NDA,” the Krishnanagar MP wrote on X on Sunday evening, even as some rebel MPs openly said they were aligning with BJP-led NDA.

“All the greedy self-serving traitors with yellow-stained pants can please join BJP now — resign your seats & contest on BJP ticket. Let's see what big heroes you are,” she wrote.

In another post, Moitra targeted TMC MP and former Team India cricketer Yusuf Pathan, asking whether he was "rushing to Delhi" at Union home minister Amit Shah's call. “Have some courage. You played for India. Our district voted you in with a huge margin. Have some shame & some spine,” she said.

It was not clear if Pathan was indeed with the rebel group. There were reports earlier that Sourav Ganguly, a former Team India captain, had mediated for Mamata to ask Pathan to resign so that the ex-CM could enter the Lok Sabha in a bypoll. Ganguly has denied having played that role.

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TMC turmoil LIVE: At their meeting to plan their strategy for the 2029 national election, 23 parties of the Indian National Developmental Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc on Monday sought to present a unified front and launched a scathing attack on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that it accused of “stealing” the recent state elections.

The bloc, which was meeting after the recent round of state elections in which the BJP delivered a stunning victory against the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) in West Bengal, also recognised the Congress as the “glue” holding the fractured opposition together. None of the leaders criticised the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), which didn’t attend, possibly to keep hopes of future coordination alive.

Addressing a media briefing at the end of the meeting, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the INDIA bloc decided to write to the Chief Justice of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), hold more frequent meetings, demand the resignation of education minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the exam leaks, continue coordination in parliament and ask the central government to convene an all-party meeting to discuss people-centric issues.

“It was agreed to send a letter to the Chief Justice of India on SIR, vote loot and stealing elections. The letter is to be delivered to the Chief Justice of India very soon,” he said.

“It was unanimously agreed to demand the immediate resignation of the education minister because he presided over the betrayal of lakhs of youth who appeared for NEET and CBSE examinations,” the Congress leader said.

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TMC turmoil LIVE: In a significant political realignment, nearly 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) Members of Parliament have formally signalled their desire to break away from their party's current political trajectory and align with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

"A total of 20 TMC Members of Parliament have formally addressed a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, expressing their desire to extend support to the NDA, signalling a potential shift in the political landscape of West Bengal and national parliamentary dynamics," Dastidar told news agencies PTI and ANI.

TMC turmoil LIVE: The Mamata Banerjee-led TMC on Monday moved the Calcutta High Court challenging the West Bengal Assembly Speaker's decision to recognise Ritabrata Banerjee, leader of a breakaway faction of the party, as the leader of the opposition.

Seeking an urgent hearing, the TMC's lawyer stated before the court that the first session of the 18th West Bengal Assembly is scheduled to begin on June 18.

Justice Krishna Rao, before whom the matter was mentioned on grounds of urgency, directed that the petition be taken up for hearing at the top of the list on June 11.

He directed the petitioner's lawyer to serve notice to the parties in the matter in the meantime.

The petitioner's lawyer told the court that the Speaker of the House is the main respondent in the petition.

In a major setback for the TMC, 58 of its 80 MLAs had backed Ritabrata Banerjee for the post of leader of the opposition, rejecting the party's official nominee Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.

In the recent Assembly elections, the BJP won 207 seats, while the TMC secured 80.

via PTI

TMC turmoil LIVE: Senior Trinamool Congress MP Saugata Roy said on Monday that he had turned down an offer from the BJP to switch sides, asserting he would stay in the party on whose symbol he was elected, even as he credited the opposition INDIA bloc with shoring up the TMC at a moment of acute strain. "Yes, I got an offer (from the BJP) to join it. But I rejected it. I will stay in the party on whose symbol I won the election," Roy told news agency ANI.

Roy said the party was under sustained pressure and that backing from allies would strengthen it.

"TMC is being targeted and attacked a lot. If other parties support TMC, it will provide strength to the TMC," he said.

He cited the main opposition party Congress's response after a recent mob attack on TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee in Sonarpur as evidence of that support.

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TMC turmoil LIVE: As many as 13 Trinamool Congress MPs, led by Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, met West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari at a BJP minister's residence on Monday, a move that comes amid growing speculation of a split in the Mamata Banerjee-led party. These MPs also plan to write a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, requesting that they be allotted seats as a separate faction. Read full report here

TMC turmoil LIVE: Weeks after being swept from power in West Bengal, Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee was seated in New Delhi for a meeting of Opposition INDIA bloc. Another meeting some distance away was busy splitting her party further, as cracks that appeared upon her assembly defeat have now travelled northwards to the national capital.

She arrived for the INDIA meeting with nephew Abhishek Banerjee, the TMC's national general secretary who's been marked out by rebels as a chief reason for the party's loss and split. Neither spoke to the media when asked about a renewed unity push for the INDIA bloc, with which the TMC has had a political situationship so far.

The former West Bengal CM was seen seated to the right of Congress president and bloc convener Mallikarjun Kharge. To Kharge's left was Rahul Gandhi.

This visible warmth in a raging hot Delhi was seen just as Mamata's alleged role in “destroying” the INDIA bloc, three summers ago, was making headlines too. Read full report here

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: BJP leader Sambit Patra took a dig at Congress' Rahul Gandhi saying no one's fortune prospers wherever he is present. “Akhilesh Yadav had also arrived, and seeing Mamata ji, he too must have been thinking that the same fate awaits me in a little while. Wherever Rahul is present, no one’s fortunes will prosper... They (INDIA alliance) are scheduled to hold a meeting every two months. So, by the third or fourth meeting, I suspect the meeting will take place inside a car,” Patra said.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Following the INDIA bloc meeting held in the national capital on Monday, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal said that key issues affecting the public, including unemployment, rising prices, and concerns related to National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) and Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) exams, were discussed in detail.

"Everything went on well. That is why everybody was at the press conference. The next meeting will be in Hyderabad. Our concern is the people's distress. The entire meeting has discussed unemployment, price rise, and NEET-CBSE exam leaks. These are the issues of the people. There is a unanimity on these things. We will fight it out," he said.

He added, "They (BJP) can buy some MPs or MLAs, but they cannot buy the people of this country. In 2024, we also witnessed this."

via ANI

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Congress MP Syed Naseer Hussain on Monday called the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) an integral part of the INDIA bloc alliance, adding that the party will eventually get past the post-poll resentment.

"DMK has always been part of the INDIA alliance. There might be some slight resentment regarding certain post-poll adjustments, but I believe they will eventually come on board," he told reporters.

Further, speaking on Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) absence, he noted that the party did not recieve an invitation as they are not a part of the INDIA bloc alliance as of now.

"Since they are not currently part of the INDIA alliance, they did not receive an invitation; however, once they join the alliance, they will participate in subsequent meetings," he said.

Hussain said that the meeting held discussions regarding the recent political developments and grassroot issues faced by the citizens in the country.

"We did not hold this meeting from an electoral perspective; instead, we discussed current political developments and the issues facing the country and the public today. Certain decisions were taken, which have been presented. The INDIA alliance should also raise them collectively. The five-point agenda will be implemented nationwide. We will maintain coordination across the country, hold meetings, and raise these issues on a national scale," he added.

via ANI

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Monday attacked the INDIA bloc following the opposition coalition's recent meeting in the national capital, characterising the alliance as a fractured group plagued by political insecurity and internal distrust.

Speaking to ANI, Shinde dismissed the opposition's show of unity, alleging that the coalition's morale has been crushed by a string of electoral setbacks.

He claimed that the absence of several key regional parties at the meeting, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), the DMK, and the TVK, was not a coincidence, but a calculated move driven by the fear of political extinction.

"They are so arrogant that they level all sorts of absurd allegations against Prime Minister Modi," Shinde said. "They lack unity and seriousness; having suffered defeats, their morale is completely shattered."

The Deputy Chief Minister argued that regional parties are increasingly wary of the alliance, fearing that associating with the bloc is synonymous with electoral failure. "The AAP party wasn't there, nor were the DMK or the TVK. They fear that if they join the INDIA Alliance, they will lose. AAP lost, TMC lost, DMK lost, and the RJD lost as well. They are gripped by the fear that joining the INDIA Alliance leads to defeat. That is why they are shying away from this meeting. ," he remarked.

via ANI

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: The Congress shared a visual from the INDIA bloc meeting where the leaders of the alliance group were answering media questions. “PM Modi, can you do this? Facing the press” Congress wrote in the caption.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Ahead of the meeting, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav called for brotherhood and said that the INDIA bloc is eyeing the 2027 Uttar Pradesh elections. He said, "Bandhu raj (brotherhood) must be formed, and this will be our effort. In Uttar Pradesh, you're seeing what's happening; now even women are angry with them. That's why it's necessary to protect the values of democracy.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Shiv Sena-UBT's Uddhav Thackeray, JMM's Hemant Soren joined Oppn meeting online, Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said after key INDIA bloc meeting.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: The Delhi Youth Congress on Monday removed posters targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi that were seen at several locations in the national capital ahead of a key meeting of the INDIA bloc in the city.

The hoardings, displayed at prominent roundabouts and public locations, featured statements attributed to leaders of various opposition parties, including NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, DMK leader Udhayanidhi Stalin and AAP national convenor Arvind Kejriwal, concerning Rahul Gandhi and the Congress party.

Most remarks targeted Congress or Rahul Gandhi.

Calling the campaign an attempt to sow discord within the alliance, the IYC state president, Akshay Lakra, alleged that the posters were part of a politically motivated exercise.

"These are cheap political tactics being employed by the BJP, the Aam Aadmi Party, and certain other elements. The Delhi Youth Congress will not tolerate this kind of below-the-belt politics. If anyone attempts to create divisions within the INDIA bloc or indulges in such provocative actions, we will respond appropriately, and in the same language they understand," Lakra said.

One hoarding installed near the Constitution Club carried photographs of Rahul Gandhi and Sharad Pawar and claimed that Gandhi lacked consistency.

Another displayed former Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's photograph alongside a quote, suggesting that, despite being a national leader, Rahul Gandhi "did not possess the political understanding commonly found among ordinary Congress workers".

Delhi Youth Congress workers removed the posters from multiple locations, including Parliament Circle, near the Press Club and at Windsor Place roundabout.

"We have already taken down the posters and banners that were put up at Parliament Circle, near the Press Club, and at Windsor Place roundabout. This should be treated as a warning. Any attempt to spread confusion, create differences among alliance partners, or target the Congress through such methods will be met with a befitting response from the Youth Congress," Lakra further said.

via PTI

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge on Monday said the INDIA bloc has decided to write to the Chief Justice of India over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR), alleging "vote loot" and electoral malpractice.

Addressing a media briefing after a high-profile meeting of the Opposition alliance partners in New Delhi, Kharge said a consensus was reached to send a letter to the Chief Justice at the earliest.

"It was agreed to send a letter to the Chief Justice of India on SIR, vote loot and stealing elections. The letter is to be delivered to the Chief Justice of India very soon," he said.

Kharge also said the INDIA bloc had unanimously resolved to seek the immediate resignation of the Union Education Minister over alleged irregularities affecting students who appeared for NEET and CBSE examinations.

"It was unanimously agreed to demand the immediate resignation of the Education Minister because he presided over the betrayal of lakhs of youth who appeared for NEET and CBSE examinations," the Congress leader said.

Congress President Kharge detailed the bloc's immediate action plan, focusing on youth, institutional integrity, and a sustained joint opposition front.

Kharge further said the alliance partners will now meet every two months to review national politics and coordinate strategy.

He said that the next formal meeting of the INDIA bloc leaders has been locked in for August 8. and future dates will be decided and communicated dynamically.

via ANI

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge said 25 parties participated in the INDIA bloc meeting on Monday where five key decisions were taken. Here is what Kharge said:

-It was agreed to send a letter to chief justice on SIR, vote loot and stealing election. The letter to be delivered very soon

-It was unanimously agreed to demand immediate resignation of education minister

-Union govt should immediately call an all party meeting to discuss the precarious economic situation, farmers issues and other people's issues. Price rise

-All of us will meet every two months. Next meeting in Hyderabad in August

-Parliament coordination everyday during the session

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: 25 parties participated in INDIA bloc meeting; agreement reached on raising 5 issues, would meet every two months, said Mallikarjun Kharge after key INDIA

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Kerala BJP leader Muraleedharan made sharp remarks on the Opposition bloc, INDIA, saying it has ‘failed’ in several states and also made claims about infighting within the alliance group in Kerala. “This INDIA alliance is a mechanism that is sometimes on and sometimes off. So, we don't know how many [parties] are currently in it. Right now, it is 'on', but we don't know how many days it will remain on. I don't give it much importance because they have failed significantly in several states. In Kerala, they are fighting amongst themselves, so naturally, one of them will win. Elsewhere, such as in Assam, they faced a heavy defeat. While they managed to secure seats in Bengal, Tamil Nadu, and Puducherry, they still need to introspect,” Muraleedharan said.

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge said at the meeting that the opposition 'demonstrated unity in a decisive manner in the Lok Sabha on April 17, 2026, when the opposition defeated the government's Constitution amendment bill

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: As the DMK skipped key INDIA bloc meeting on Monday, party leader spokesperson TKS Elangovan said they are not with the Congress now as the party joined hands with the TVK "They had said that in the future, they will also contest the local body elections and parliament elections in the TVK alliance, which means they are not in our alliance. Then why should we be there with them?..."

INDIA bloc meeting LIVE: The DMK and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) are not part of the deliberations as they have opted out of the bloc. TVK also did not attend the meeting. Sources said parties with MPs and those who were part of the original INDIA bloc were invited. The MK Stalin-led DMK had last week announced their decision to skip the key meet in Delhi as it cited the Congress' TVK move post elections in Tamil Nadu.