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'Rebel' Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has claimed that nearly 20 party MPs are ready to support the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as internal
rebellion in the Mamata Banerjee’s party is splitting out in public. Kakoli Ghosh, while mentioning that things have been getting from bad to worse in the state, said she along with 20 MPs, decided to write to the Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and formally convey their desire to be part of the NDA - National Democratic Alliance. This development, which came as another blow to Mamata Banerjee, unfolded even as the former Chief Minister was holding meeting with INDIA bloc leaders, in the national capital. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, speaking exclusively to Times Now, said, "We worked with the expectation that this government would improve the lives of people. After 35 years of Left Front rule, we hoped West Bengal would move ahead. Unfortunately, that has not happened."
In another statement, she added that this decision comes after extensive discussions among fellow MPs.
The rebel MP, who was reportedly upset with Mamata Banerjee after she was removed from the post of Whip, claimed that as of now, "I remain the Chief Whip of the TMC in the Lok Sabha, and in that capacity, I have consulted colleagues before arriving at this decision."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvYdoBbRhkg
"My removal was arbitrary and unilateral. The party chairperson may have announced my replacement from the post, but that does not alter the constitutional and parliamentary position overnight," Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said. In another statement, Kakoli said, "... 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." Ever since drubbing in the recently concluded Bengal assembly elections where it lost badly against the BJP, the TMC has been facing internal rebellion. Mamata, who so far appears to have failed in keeping her house in order, stares at losing both -- the legislative and Parliamentary, party. Mamata Loses Grip on Both - Legislative And Parliamentary Party The TMC leadership suffered a setback in the West Bengal Assembly, where 58 of its 80 MLAs defied the party high command's decision to appoint veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of the Opposition, and elected expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee to that post. As Mamata was already struggling to take control of the legislative party, party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar - along with nearly 20 MPs - were reportedly holding crucial meetings in New Delhi, with BJP leadership. When Mamata was discussing opposition's future course of action and streamlining strategy against the BJP, her MPs (rebel) were preparing to reach to Lok Sabha Speaker, declaring their decision to support the NDA. Kakoli Ghosh said, "Nearly twenty TMC MPs, including me, have decided to write to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and formally support the NDA," she said. Sources said the dissident MPs intend to argue before the Speaker that Ghosh Dastidar continues to be the valid chief whip of the party in the Lok Sabha and that any subsequent changes announced by the party leadership were not completed through the required parliamentary procedure. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhwgveK3MKk Mamata's Action Against Chief Whip Mamata Banerjee-led TMC had decided to remove Ghosh Dastidar as chief whip and replace her with Kalyan Banerjee, but that was not communicated to the Lok Sabha secretariat, another rebel TMC MP told PTI. Accept Peoples' Verdict, Need To Align With BJP, Says Kakoli Ghosh Claiming that she continues to be the party's chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Ghosh Dastidar said the decision was taken after consultations among fellow parliamentarians. "We have accepted the people's verdict and believe that our future political course should be aligned with the NDA," she said. According to sources in the dissident camp, the MPs have chosen not to immediately resign from the TMC or join the BJP. Instead, they intend to function as a separate parliamentary bloc while supporting the NDA, a strategy designed to ensure protection under the anti-defection law. Status of TMC MPs in Lok Sabha The arithmetic is politically significant. The TMC currently has 28 Lok Sabha MPs, with one vacancy following the death of Basirhat MP Haji Nurul Islam. The support of 20 MPs would comfortably cross the two-thirds threshold required for protection under the anti-defection law. The development came a day after dissident MPs held a closed-door meeting in New Delhi and is likely to intensify questions over the authority of the TMC leadership over its elected representatives. For Mamata Banerjee, the crisis has now moved beyond organisational dissent to the prospect of losing control over a substantial section of the party's parliamentary strength, with potentially far-reaching consequences for both the TMC and the opposition bloc at the national level. Mahua Moitra Bursts Out At Rebel MPs TMC MP Mahua Moitra launched a scathing attack on the dissident camp. In a post on X, Moitra said MPs were elected in 2024 on a TMC mandate and not in support of the NDA.
"MPs won in 2024 on TMC ticket. Mandate was NOT for 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. The lawmaker served a salvo specifically to MP Yusuf Pathan.
"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 wrote.
With inputs from PTI
