The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing fresh turbulence as around 20 rebel MPs are preparing to take legal action against party colleague Mahua Moitra over her claim that lawmakers who switched sides were
bribed to leave the party.
The MPs have decided to file a defamation suit against Moitra after she alleged that parliamentarians who broke away from the TMC received large sums of money in return for joining another political camp. The development comes amid an ongoing power struggle within the party following a major split in its parliamentary unit.
What Mahua Moitra said?
The rebel MPs recently held a meeting and agreed to move court against Moitra over her remarks. The controversy stems from a post made by Moitra on X on June 17, in which she suggested that MPs who left the TMC had been paid substantial amounts of money.
A close ally of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, Moitra alleged that the 20 MPs received Rs 4 crore in advance and were promised Rs 1 crore every month for the next 36 months.
Her comments were made while reacting to Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut’s allegation that MPs in Maharashtra were being offered Rs 15 crore each to switch political sides.
“Only 15 cr? Saste mein kyo jaa rahe hai? Believe ours got Rs 4 cr up front and Rs 1 cr a month for next 36 months of term,” Moitra wrote on X.
The rebel MPs have objected to the allegation and decided to seek legal remedies, sources said.
Only ₹15 cr? Saste mein kyo jaa rahe hai? Believe ours got ₹4cr up front and ₹1cr a month for next 36 months of term. …. Honey plus Money.@uddhavthackeray @abhishekaitc https://t.co/Yl1ZXFxkC5
— Mahua Moitra (@MahuaMoitra) June 16, 2026
TMC MPs split
The dispute follows one of the biggest political crises in the history of the TMC. Twenty of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Chief Whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, recently broke away and formed a separate group.
The rebel MPs informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about their decision and announced that they would support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). Dastidar said the decision was taken after discussions among the MPs. According to her, the group believed it should align its future political course with the NDA while respecting the mandate of the people.
The breakaway MPs have joined the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a political party based in Tripura. The move is seen as an attempt to avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law.
While the faction has not formally joined the BJP, it has extended support to the NDA.
The split has sharply reduced the TMC’s strength in the Lok Sabha from 28 MPs to just eight, making it one of the most significant setbacks for the party since its formation in 1998.
Mahua Moitra backs Mamata amid crisis
Throughout the crisis, Moitra has remained firmly behind Mamata Banerjee and has repeatedly criticised leaders associated with the rebel camp.
She recently described the rebel leaders as “completely useless” politicians who, according to her, had survived politically because of Banerjee’s popularity.
Moitra also targeted Baharampur MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan after he was accused by the TMC of siding with the dissident faction. She questioned his decision to respond to a summons from Union Home Minister Amit Shah and urged him to display the courage for which he was known during his cricket career.
The latest confrontation comes amid a wider battle for control within the TMC.
Earlier, expelled TMC MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha claimed they had the support of 60 legislators and reiterated their backing for Mamata Banerjee as the party leader.
The faction also claimed it had crossed the two-thirds mark required under the anti-defection law, a development that could strengthen its position in any future formal split and in a potential claim over the party’s election symbol.
