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Those under pressure should quit before July 21: Mamata after Koel Mallick's Rajya Sabha exit
"Today I saw that another MP, who is also a respected and talented film artist, met a BJP leader and resigned," Banerjee said.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Thursday asked dissidents planning to leave the organisation to do so before the July 21 Martyrs' Day rally, asserting that such exits would not weaken the party.
In a Facebook Live session, hours after TMC Rajya Sabha MP Rukmini Mallick, aka Koel Mallick, resigned and met Union minister Bhupender Yadav, Banerjee said the actor-turned-politician had informed the party leadership about her decision through email before submitting her resignation.
"Today I saw that another MP, who is also a respected and talented film artist, met a BJP leader and resigned. I respect her as an artist. For everyone's information, she had already sent her resignation by email, and I thank her for personally submitting it today," Banerjee said.
She said there could be others who are still planning to quit the TMC under external pressure.
"Those under pressure from the BJP and the police, or due to court cases, the ED, CBI, CID, local police officers, or the STF, I request that you make your decision before July 21. If you believe you can only survive by bowing to such pressure, please go wherever you wish, even if it means joining the BJP. But do not tarnish the party that we built together. You have every right to exercise those freedoms. But let me assure you, we will not be weakened because of it," Banerjee added.
Banerjee said there were people who could withstand pressure and those who could not.
"Those who are leaving us are also in touch with us in secret," she claimed.
Mallick's resignation came in the wake of three former TMC MPs -- Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, and Prakash Chik Baraik -- who defected to the BJP and received Rajya Sabha bypoll tickets for the vacant seats.
Besides the Rajya Sabha, the party's strength in Lok Sabha, too, has shrunk drastically after 20 rebel MPs -- most of whom such as Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakali Ghosh Dastidar were long-time associates of Banerjee -- broke away from the TMC to merge with the lesser-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and pledged support to the BJP-led NDA.
Closer home, the Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction of the party has escalated the battle for Trinamool's identity by consolidating rebel ranks, inducting senior leaders, and pressing his claim as the party's legitimate leadership.
The growing desertions, which include top leaders and former Mamata-loyalists like Firhad Hakim, Aroop Biswas and, the latest, Madan Mitra, have mounted pressure on the Banerjee-led 'Kalighat Trinamool', turning the internal split into a direct political challenge.
Banerjee alleged that the families of the July 21 martyrs were receiving phone calls from police, asking them not to attend the rally organised by the TMC faction led by her but instead side with the BJP.
"They are being encouraged to support what I call the BJP-sponsored 'pillow' camp, where they will allegedly be rewarded with money and gifts," she said, apparently referring to the party's Ritabrata Banerjee-led faction in the state.
Stating that she honoured the martyrs' families every year for the past four decades, she alleged they were being made to join the rebels this year with "fear or financial temptation".
"Remember that for 40 years you have stood with us. Times have changed temporarily. Fear is temporary. Terror is temporary. Money is temporary. Agency pressure is temporary. We do not misunderstand you -- we know you are under tremendous pressure. Whether you stand with us this year or not, you will always remain in our hearts," she said.
"I appeal to the administration to remain neutral. Remember, life is long. If Delhi begins to shake, the situation here will change as well," she added.
Banerjee said July 21 will mark a "fresh beginning" for her party with those who choose to stay back.
"If we could begin anew in 1997, we could certainly do so again in 2026. There have been many conspiracies, and some people say they will erase our name and symbol. Let them try. Stay healthy, stay safe, and protect yourselves," she said.
The TMC chief lashed out at the Centre for not reaching out to reformist-activist Sonam Wangchuk, who is currently on a hunger strike for 19 days demanding the resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the leak of the NEET-UG medical entrance examination question paper.
"Even after Sonam's prolonged hunger strike, no government official met him. What is wrong with talking? A person's life is at risk, yet you are unwilling to show even basic courtesy. He is sitting under the open sky during the monsoon, with thunder, lightning, and rain above, while the administration continues to intimidate him. This politics of fear and intimidation must end," she said.
