Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Mamata Banerjee’s TMC has suffered a major split, with 20 rebel MPs announcing their merger with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and submitting a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking recognition as a separate group. TMC currently has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha from West Bengal.
Rebel Leader Pledges Support to NDA
Rebel faction leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar met Speaker Om Birla on Sunday evening and handed over the merger letter. She stated that the rebel group would work with the NDA under PM Modi’s leadership, claiming that two-thirds of TMC’s Lok Sabha MPs back the move and have decided to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party.
Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Shatabdi Roy Confirm Merger
Rebel MPs Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Shatabdi Roy confirmed that their faction has completed its merger with the NCPI. Before meeting the Speaker, the rebel MPs had held discussions with West Bengal BJP in-charge and Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.
Mamata Faction Opposes Recognition of Separate Group
The rebel MPs have demanded a separate seating arrangement in Parliament following their merger announcement. However, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction has written to the Speaker urging him not to grant recognition to any separate group. Responding to this, Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the courts will ultimately decide who constitutes the real TMC, indicating that the rebel faction is also likely to stake claim to the party’s “twin flowers” election symbol.
