Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee’s troubles have compounded as she was in a huddle with the INDIA Bloc today. A group of her party’s 28 MPs now say they want to join the NDA. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who was upset with the party after being removed from the post of the Whip, said going by the people’s verdict, they believe that their “future political course should be aligned with the NDA”.
Nearly 20 Trinamool MPs, including her, “have decided to write to Speaker Om Birla and formally convey our desire to be part of the NDA,” Ghosh Dastidar told reporters today.
Read: Trinamool Rebel, 10 MPs Meet BJP Leaders As Mamata Banerjee Attends INDIA Meet
Rebel Trinamool MP Sharmila Sarkar told NDTV, “We are forming a different bloc of 20 MPs and going to give support to the NDA. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is our chief whip and Shatabdi Roy is our deputy leader”.
The move mirrors the events in West Bengal, where 58 MLAs – led by expelled rebel Ritabrata Banerjee – have formed a bloc, and taking a page out of the Shiv Sena’s book, claim to be the “real” Trinamool.
Their grouse is the party’s choice for the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Shobhandeb Chatterjee. The Assembly speaker has accepted Ritabrata Banerjee for the post and even handed him the keys to the party’s room in the state assembly.
In case of Ghosh Dastidar, the last straw appears to be her removal from the post of the whip. The MP has been on the warpath since Kalyan Banerjee replaced her as the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha. Shortly after, the Barasat MP had resigned her party post and slammed the decision to hire political consultancy firm I-PAC.
Today, calling her removal “arbitrary” and “unilateral”, she told reporters that the party chairperson “may have announced my replacement from the post, but that does not alter the constitutional and parliamentary position overnight”.
The MPs’ declaration came following a meeting at the house of BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav earlier today. The location was around a kilometre from the spot where Mamata Banerjee was attending the INDIA Bloc meeting. One of the agendas, sources said, was ironically, reining in the rebel MPs.
Read: After Bengal Defeat, Is Mamata Banerjee Preparing For National Politics?
Ghosh Dastidar, though, was emphatic while speaking to reporters.
“This decision comes after extensive discussions among fellow MPs. As of now, I remain the Chief Whip of the Trinamool in the Lok Sabha, and in that capacity, I have consulted colleagues before arriving at this decision,” she said.
The numbers – which comfortably bypasses the anti-defection law – indicates the planning. There has been a buzz about the rebellion of the Trinamool MPs since last week.
In the month following the declaration of the assembly poll results in Bengal, much changed on the ground as well. Trinamool leaders, including party number two Abhishek Banerjee, have been targeted by mobs.
Leaders have been speaking openly against the party. Second rung leaders and nearly 100 councillors have quit. And within the party, many have started addressing Mamata Banerjee – referred to earlier only as “Didi” (Elder sister) – is now being called by name.
