'Something could happen to me... I understood that day itself that what they had sent me was a final warning.'
Rajya Sabha MP Sukhen Shekhar Ray has resigned from the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and his parliamentary seat, adding to the party's ongoing internal crisis and political turmoil.
The TMC is facing a crisis following its defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls and a rebellion that has significantly weakened its organisational and legislative strength.
The BJP's decision to nominate three former TMC MPs for Rajya Sabha bypolls immediately after their induction into the party signals a strategic shift towards consolidating its position in West Bengal politics through selective accommodation of opposition leaders and organisational expansion.
Trinamool Congress MP Sushmita Dev has resigned from the Rajya Sabha, becoming the second TMC MP to do so this week. Speculation suggests she may join the BJP, following a meeting with Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, amidst a broader rebellion within the TMC after its recent electoral defeat.
Senior Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has issued an ultimatum to party chief Mamata Banerjee, asking her to choose between him and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, whom he blames for the party's recent turmoil. This comes as the TMC faces significant internal strife, including multiple Rajya Sabha MP resignations and claims of widespread defection among MLAs and MPs.
Three former Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sushmita Dev and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party on Thursday and, within hours, were named the saffron party's candidates for the Rajya Sabha bypolls from West Bengal, underlining both their political rehabilitation and the party's calibrated shift in inducting leaders from the erstwhile ruling dispensation.
Union Minister J P Nadda criticised the Trinamool Congress (TMC) government in West Bengal, accusing it of disregarding democratic procedures, the judiciary, and the Election Commission of India. He alleged that the rule of law has been compromised in the state, particularly concerning the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.
'Those who have drained Mamata Banerjee's blood -- they are the ones calling us traitors.'
Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad has accused the BJP of orchestrating 'Operation Lotus' to induce defections from the Mamata Banerjee-led party, citing recent resignations and meetings of dissident MPs as evidence of an organised attempt to weaken the TMC.
Rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee has declared his dissident camp as the 'real Trinamool Congress,' claiming the support of 64 MLAs and a growing number of MPs, and explicitly stating they have no plans to merge with the Congress.
'You think it is written somewhere that she will not? She might escape for two months, perhaps a little longer. But she will go.'
A group of dissident Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, led by Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, plans to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to seek recognition as the 'real TMC' parliamentary group, claiming the support of 19 members amidst an escalating internal party crisis.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing a deepening internal crisis marked by fresh resignations and an escalating rebellion, even as its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee met Congress leader Rahul Gandhi to discuss opposition coordination and the future of the INDIA bloc.
'It's a bit uncertain. Let's see what happens. But he is the top man of Assam, and since my politics is in Assam, I thought it's best to seek his guidance before I take any decision.'
Amidst the INDIA bloc conclave in Delhi, a significant number of Trinamool Congress MPs convened a closed-door meeting, signalling a deepening internal rebellion and discontent within the party's parliamentary ranks following recent electoral setbacks.
The Election Commission of India has announced that elections for 10 Rajya Sabha seats in Goa, Gujarat, and West Bengal will be held on July 24.
Elections to 10 Rajya Sabha seats, including those held by External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar and Trinamool Congress leader Derek O'Brien, will be held on July 24, the Election Commission (EC) said on Tuesday.
The INDIA bloc has 95 MPs in Rajya Sabha of which 45 were suspended on Monday.
The 69-year-old leader had a fall inside her Kalighat home in south Kolkata after she returned after attending a programme, her family said.
Earlier, the party's members of Parliament had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for removing Mehta over his reported meeting with West Bengal Bharatiya Janata Party leader Suvendu Adhikari.
Sekhar Roy was summoned by the police in connection with a social media post he made over the alleged rape and murder of a doctor at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital.
While 30 of them were suspended for the remainder of the Winter Session, three were suspended pending the report of the Privileges Committee.
Among the Rajya Sabha members who are the new vice-chairpersons are PT Usha, S Phangnon Konyak, Fauzia Khan, Sulata Deo, V Vijaysai Reddy, Ghanshyam Tiwari, L Hanumanthaiah and Sukhendu Sekhar Ray.
Several MPs came to the Upper House wearing masks and demanded curtailment of the ongoing Budget session, which is due to end on April 3, in view of the novel coronavirus scare, but the government seemed unwilling.
'Although there is a visible dent in TMC's urban votes, especially among women, the CPI-M and the BJP are unlikely to benefit from this'
The government on Monday said that matters regarding Chinese intrusion can't be discussed in Parliament as it concerns the security of the country.
The party released two videos as 'proof' of BJP workers vandalising the statue.
Discontentment seems to be increasing by the day in sections of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal with several leaders of both camps expressing displeasure over the selection of candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee has recently written to all opposition parties including the Congress, calling on everyone to come together and put up a united fight against saffron forces.
The Trinamool Congress MP said he is unable to bear various incidents that are happening in West Bengal.
Sources said the reshuffle will also aim at an image makeover for the party hit by school jobs scam probe.
Tribals constitute 7-8 per cent of the state's population, and are a deciding factor in 47 assembly seats and seven Lok Sabha constituencies spread across the Junglemahal districts of Purulia, Paschim Medinipur, Bankura and Jhargram in southern Bengal and Jalpaiguri and Alipurduar in the north.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Sunday alleged that Dinesh Trivedi, who resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Friday, took the 'House for a ride' and was 'allowed' to use the floor of the House for his 'devious political ends'.
Opposition parties on Tuesday asked the government to call an all-party meeting to resolve the current impasse in Parliament, while sticking to their demands for a discussion on Pegasus snooping issue and a Supreme Court-monitored probe into the matter.
Soon after the obituary references and laying of papers, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs V Muraleedharan moved a motion for Shantanu Sen's suspension. The TMC member had snatched papers from Information Technology Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and tore those in the House on Thursday. The motion was passed by a voice vote and Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu asked Sen to leave the House.
"I was standing outside my car with the door open. I was going to a temple there to offer my prayers. Few people came around my car and pushed the door. The door hit my leg," she said.
Actor and Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan said she was happy that the House was discussing the most important ambassadors of the country, the film fraternity.
Having failed its litmus test, the Bengal's ruling party is back to square one, trying to draw up a fresh strategy ahead of the polls in Meghalaya and Tripura.
The plea for contempt action has been filed as there are repeated incidents of violence and false cases are being lodged against their members, advocate Amar Dave, appearing for TMC, said.
