20 TMC MPs Wrote To Om Birla Seeking NDA Entry, Claims Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar
Senior TMC leader alleges MPs sought alignment with NDA.
A fresh political storm engulfed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Monday after senior party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed that nearly 20 Lok Sabha members of the party had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressing their intention to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The move, if formalised, would mark a significant split within the TMC's parliamentary unit and deepen the crisis facing the Mamata Banerjee-led party.
Speaking to PTI, Ghosh Dastidar said the group of MPs had communicated its position to the Speaker and sought recognition of its support for the NDA. She stated that around 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs, including herself, had signed a letter conveying their decision. The TMC currently has 28 members in the Lok Sabha and 12 in the Rajya Sabha, making the development a potentially major setback for the party's national presence.
The latest rebellion comes days after the party faced turmoil in the West Bengal Assembly. In a major challenge to the leadership, 58 of the TMC's 80 MLAs reportedly defied the party high command's decision to appoint veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition and instead elected expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee to the post. The developments have fuelled speculation about a widening rift within the party following its recent electoral setbacks.
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Political tensions intensified further as the parliamentary rebellion unfolded while TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee was in New Delhi attending a meeting of the Opposition INDIA bloc. The gathering was aimed at strengthening coordination among opposition parties against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as dissent within the TMC appeared to be gathering momentum.
Sources among the dissident MPs said they intend to argue before the Speaker that Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar remains the valid chief whip of the party in the Lok Sabha. According to the rebels, although the TMC leadership announced its decision to replace her with Kalyan Banerjee, the change was allegedly not communicated to the Lok Sabha Secretariat through the required parliamentary procedure.
The TMC leadership has not immediately responded to the claims. However, the latest developments indicate that the political turbulence which began in West Bengal has now spread to the national stage, posing a significant challenge to Mamata Banerjee's efforts to maintain party unity and strengthen opposition coordination ahead of future political battles.
Also Read: Rebel TMC MPs Meet In Delhi Amid Internal Turmoil Over Party Strategy
