Key facts
- Senior TMC MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay met Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi.
- Rebel TMC MPs intend to meet the Lok Sabha Speaker to seek recognition as the 'real TMC'.
- A significant number of TMC MLAs have already broken away in the state Assembly.
- The Mamata-led faction has challenged the breakaway MLAs' recognition in court.
Senior Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay's meeting with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi has intensified speculation about internal turmoil within the TMC. Bandyopadhyay, accompanied by rebel MP Shatabdi Roy, met Yadav at his residence, a move that has raised questions about his potential alignment with a dissident TMC group.
This development occurs as a faction of TMC MPs plans to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as the 'real TMC'. Rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia claimed that 19 out of the party's 28 Lok Sabha members support this breakaway faction. The leader of this group, Kakoli Ghosh Dasdidar, has indicated that once recognized, they would support the BJP-led NDA in Parliament.
Political observers consider the meeting significant given Bandyopadhyay's senior standing in the TMC and his role as a liaison with the central government. His engagement with a senior BJP strategist is being closely watched for implications on West Bengal politics and the future of the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC.
Adding to the party's internal strife, a substantial number of TMC MLAs, 64 out of 80, have already broken away in the state Assembly and received recognition from Speaker Rathindra Bose, with Ritabrata Banerjee named Leader of Opposition. However, the Mamata-led faction has challenged this recognition in the Calcutta High Court.
TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh sharply criticized Bandyopadhyay's actions, attributing them to a 'lust for power and position' and suggesting it led to other leaders defecting to the BJP. He also sarcastically noted Bandyopadhyay's absence when Mamata Banerjee's residence was raided, contrasting it with his current engagement with the BJP. BJP minister Tapas Roy echoed similar sentiments, labeling Bandyopadhyay and Roy as 'liabilities' to the TMC who align with those in power for self-preservation.