A rebellion within the Trinamool Congress is expected to significantly increase the NDA's numbers in both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, bringing the ruling alliance closer to a two-thirds majority needed for constitutional amendments. This shift is driven by upcoming Rajya Sabha elections, TMC MP resignations, and potential support from defecting TMC Lok Sabha members.
Barely days after losing control of its legislature party in the West Bengal assembly, the Trinamool Congress is now staring at an even bigger political nightmare -- the possibility of the rebellion spreading to its parliamentary ranks.
Veteran Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy has suggested that the rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC)'s legislative wing could extend to its Members of Parliament, following an unprecedented revolt by MLAs and the party's recent electoral defeat in West Bengal.
What began with an apparently chance encounter between rebel TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari at Banga Bhavan on May 22 ended on Wednesday with 58 MLAs wresting control of the party's legislature wing, electing Ritabrata as their leader and securing recognition from the assembly Speaker.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee has been suspended from the Lok Sabha for the remainder of the Monsoon session due to his use of "unsavoury" language against women members during a heated exchange with NCPI members.
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.
In a bid to wrest control of the Trinamool Congress, its rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Monday elected MLA Arup Roy as chairperson, marking the sharpest challenge yet to the authority of party founder Mamata Banerjee.
A significant parliamentary revolt within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has emerged, with purported signatures of 19 MPs on a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition as a separate bloc under Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and extending support to the BJP-led NDA.
Following a significant defeat to the BJP, Trinamool Congress leaders are openly criticising the party leadership, citing mismanagement and lack of support as key factors in the election outcome.
Twenty rebel Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha MPs have merged with the obscure Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a move seen by political observers as a strategic way to support the BJP-led NDA without immediately joining the saffron party and bypassing legal complexities.
Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee claims 64 dissident TMC MLAs have submitted their names to the Speaker, constituting over two-thirds of the party's Assembly strength, and has called for a floor test to verify their claims of support amidst a widening split within the Trinamool Congress.
Facing a massive rebellion of MLAs and MPs after its defeat in the West Bengal assembly polls, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) has begun an organisational reset, with sources saying the focus is on top leaders increasing direct engagement with workers and reducing dependence on political-consultancy firm I-PAC.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee has formally petitioned Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify 20 rebel MPs, arguing their claimed merger with the lesser-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) is invalid under the anti-defection law.
The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is facing a severe leadership crisis as former minister Jyoti Priya Mallick resigned from all party organisational posts citing health, and senior North Bengal leader Goutam Deb stepped down as mayor of Siliguri Municipal Corporation, amidst widespread internal rifts and electoral setbacks.
Under attack from senior Trinamool Congress lawmaker Kalyan Banerjee amid turmoil within the party, its national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Friday struck a conciliatory note, describing the Serampore MP as an elder who has "brought him up" and therefore had every right to criticise him.
The divergent voices emerged after a meeting of the rebel legislature bloc led by newly recognised Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee, exposing the delicate balancing act facing the dissidents as they seek to distance themselves from party MP Abhishek Banerjee while retaining their political and emotional association with the TMC founder.
A month after losing power in West Bengal and facing a rebellion by 58 MLAs, the Trinamool Congress (TMC) confronts an unprecedented challenge to Mamata Banerjee's absolute authority, raising questions about the party's survival and future.
Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee has garnered support from 58 legislators, who have proposed him as the new leader of the legislative party to West Bengal Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose, while still acknowledging Mamata Banerjee as their 'chairperson'.
Rebel Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's son Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar has sent a legal notice to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and several TMC leaders, including Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy and Sonali Guha, denying allegations that he had sought a party ticket from the Barasat Assembly Constituency.
'Now if you break the party under the 10th Schedule you have to join another party.' 'You cannot join the NDA as it is not a party. You can only join another party, and that is the BJP.' 'So the question to ask is that these so-called 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs who are parting ways with the TMC, are they ready to join the BJP and accept Narendra Modi as their leader?'
The internecine war within the Trinamool Congress took a new turn on Thursday with "party treasurer" Aroop Biswas writing to a bank seeking restrictions on the operation of the party's accounts, citing uncertainty over its legitimate leadership amid rebellions by MLAs and MPs.
The NDA's parliamentary party meetings will now be known as 'Mangal Milan', with the first under this new name scheduled for July 21. This change was informally discussed in the Union cabinet. Additionally, the newly formed Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), comprising 20 MPs who defected from the TMC, is seeking formal recognition and parliamentary facilities, including a party office and designated floor leaders.
'It was done with record speed. First, a revolt of the MLAs, which was obviously engineered.' ''No one believed me when I said the MLAs breaking away is not the real issue.' 'It is like a comet. The head doesn't matter, the tail matters.' 'And the tail is Parliament. Suvendu has gifted the prime minister 20 MPs.'
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.
Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress is grappling with an unprecedented political crisis following its recent electoral defeat, which has seen a significant number of its legislators openly challenging her authority and forming a rebel faction.
Humayun Kabir, a former TMC minister, has been suspended from the party after announcing plans to lay the foundation of a "Babri Masjid-style" mosque on December 6. This move has sparked controversy and raised concerns about communal tensions in West Bengal.
The dramatic development marked the culmination of a revolt that began with allegations of forged signatures on a letter proposing a Leader of Opposition and snowballed into an open challenge to the party leadership following the TMC's defeat at the hands of the BJP in the assembly elections.
'Those who have drained Mamata Banerjee's blood -- they are the ones calling us traitors.'
'Mamata was more feared than loved, and in politics when people start fearing you then they start hating you.' 'So Mamata's comeback now is impossible.'
As the Shiv Sena marks 60 years, political experts highlight the Uddhav Thackeray-led faction's existential crisis and the Eknath Shinde-led group's struggle for relevance in the face of a dominant BJP, a significant shift from the party's historical 'elder brother' status in Maharashtra.
Estranged TMC MLA Humayun Kabir's plan to build a mosque modeled on the Babri Masjid in Murshidabad has sparked a political firestorm in West Bengal, with accusations and warnings escalating tensions ahead of state elections.
'The question for the TMC is not whether it can hold its bastions, but whether it can expand effectively into regions where the BJP already possesses a good ecosystem.'
'The more you challenge her, the more powerful she gets'
Three persons were shot dead and several others were injured as violence and arson marked the conclusion of nomination filing for the three-tier West Bengal panchayat polls slated next month.
The Congress party continues to be racked by arbitrary decision-making and the absence of accountability.
'It doesn't help to transpose the Hindi heartland model on Bengal. Bengalis don't understand its dynamics. They won't comprehend the impact of Modi's dip in the Ganga because Bengal's political culture is different. Even in the Ramakrishna Mission Ashrams, Christ is worshipped on Christmas. It's difficult to polarise Bengal religiously'
Though the BJP is running too close for comfort, populist schemes and support among Muslims may help Mamata Banerjee overcome the challenge, observes Aditi Phadnis.
It seems the grand old party is trying to stage a comeback in the state which it ruled at one time, but also to its progeny the Trinamool Congress which has vowed to come to power in Tripura in the 2023 state assembly elections.
Held at Ved Niketan Dham in Haridwar from December 17-20, the Dharma Sansad was organised by Yati Narasimhanand Giri of the Juna Akhada, who is already under police scanner for making hate speeches and inciting violence against Muslims.
Indicating a shift in stand, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut on Thursday said his party is open to consider quitting Maharashtra's ruling alliance Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) if the rebel MLAs camping in Assam return and discuss their grievances with CM Uddhav Thackeray, while coalition allies Nationalist Congress Party and the Congress vowed support to the beleaguered governing bloc and asserted its majority can only be determined in the assembly and not outside.
