The Trinamool Congress (TMC), which is grappling with a meltdown in its party ranks in the aftermath of its Bengal drubbing, said on Tuesday that it was not worried by exits of its leaders and that while the BJP may have power and government, it has “Maa, Maati and Maanush” (mother, soil, people) by its side.
The . A rebel group, led by senior Trinamool leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, saying they want to join the NDA. This group claims it has the support of 20 Lok Sabha MPs, a claim the party leadership has contested. This comes days after 60 of the party’s 80 MLAs rebelled and challenged Mamata Banerjee’s choice of Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as their leader in the Assembly.
At a press conference in on Tuesday, Trinamool MP said, “We are not worried about who leaves. We need fresh blood, committed workers and leaders who stand by the party during difficult times. Our leader is Mamata Banerjee. Our symbol is the Trinamool Congress symbol. Our strength comes from our workers and the people of Bengal. You may have power, money, government machinery, agencies, vehicles, security and property. We have Maa, Maati and Maanush.”
Kalyan Banerjee said the rebel MPs who went to Bhupender Yadav’s residence on Monday and held meetings with Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari have effectively become BJP. “Today, their leader is Narendra Modi. They may use different words, but the people of Bengal understand exactly what is happening,” he said.
The Trinamool leader challenged rebel MPs to go to their constituencies and meet party workers who campaigned for them and stood by them during elections. “Let them face those workers and explain their actions.”
Kalyan Banerjee said these leaders won elections in the name of Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee, and on the Trinamool Congress symbol. “If they had grievances against the leadership, why did they not raise them before the elections? Why did they campaign in the name of Mamata Banerjee and praise her development work before polling?” he asked.
There are claims and counter-claims regarding the number of MPs in the rebel camp. This is significant because if the group has the support of 20 MPs, as it claims, it won’t come under the provisions of the anti-defection law for defying the leadership’s diktat. On Monday, 14 rebel MPs met Union Minister and BJP veteran Bhupender Yadav and Chief Minister Adhikari. Those close to Mamata Banerjee, however, put the number of rebels at 12.
“Whenever these MPs met Mamata Banerjee, they praised her leadership, sarees and the government. They never raised any serious complaint before her or before the party leadership,” said Kalyan Banerjee. He said that if any of the rebels have any political morality, they should resign from Parliament and seek a fresh mandate from the people. “They should follow the example of Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who resigned after publicly expressing his differences,” he said.
