The political battle between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) intensified on Sunday after a group of dissident TMC MPs announced their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and pledged support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The move triggered sharp reactions from the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC, which dismissed the merger as “ridiculous” and accused the rebels of betraying the party on whose symbol they were elected.
Senior TMC leader Sougata Roy questioned the political relevance of the NCPI, a registered but unrecognised party based in Tripura, and challenged the dissident MPs to explain their decision to voters.
Roy said the rebel lawmakers would struggle to justify their switch before constituents and alleged that the move reflected an attempt to please their “BJP masters”. He further claimed that the merger route had been chosen because parliamentary rules do not allow the recognition of a separate faction within an existing political party.
According to Roy, public support would remain with the TMC under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and not with those who had deserted the party.
REBEL MPs MET LOK SABHA SPEAKER OM BIRLA
The comments came shortly after the dissident MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and sought a separate seating arrangement in Parliament following their merger announcement.
The rebel camp claimed that 20 MPs, more than two-thirds of the TMC’s 28-member Lok Sabha contingent, had backed the move and would support the NDA on parliamentary matters.
The TMC leadership has challenged these claims before the Speaker, arguing that constitutional provisions and anti-defection laws do not permit recognition of a separate faction within a political party.
A SIGN OF DEEPENING UNREST IN TMC: BJP
The BJP, meanwhile, described the development as a sign of deepening unrest within the TMC in West Bengal. BJP spokesperson Sayantan Basu said the exodus reflected growing dissatisfaction among TMC leaders and suggested that the party leadership should introspect rather than blame political opponents.
Senior BJP leader Tathagata Roy drew comparisons with the decline of the Left Front, arguing that even the CPI(M), despite losing power in 2011, had not witnessed a rebellion of this scale. He claimed the developments exposed an ideological crisis within the TMC and highlighted growing cracks within the party ahead of future political battles.
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With inputs from PTI
