Kolkata:
Trouble appears to be mounting for Mamata Banerjee, one of India’s most prominent opposition leaders.
The rebel camp that threatens to split her Trinamool Congress now claims to have the support of more MPs than before, in a blow to the dethroned chief minister.
The rebel camp is led by MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, long seen as a confidant of Banerjee. Chosen as the leader of the rebels, Ghosh Dastidar said that their strength has now gone up to 22 from 20.
Read: Most Congress Breakaways Succeeded, BJP Rebels Failed: A History Of Revolts
“We had spoken to those who have been voicing discontent with the situation in West Bengal. One or two more will join us. Earlier, I had said 20; now it’s 22. Everyone’s opinion will be heard. There will be discussion, no dictatorship,” she told reporters in Kolkata today on her way to Delhi.
She, however, stopped short of naming the two new MPs backing them, stating that their names will be revealed once they officially join the rebel camp. She added that the Speaker would meet the rebels tomorrow, a week after they wrote to him seeking to be recognized as a bloc separate from the Trinamool.
Ahead of the meeting with the Speaker, four rebel MPs — Shatabdi Roy, Mala Roy, Prasun Banerjee, and Saayoni Ghosh — arrived at BJP MP Bhupender Yadav’s residence in Delhi this evening. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey is also present there.
Yesterday, Trinamool’s six-time MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital. While he did not officially announce his position yet, the meeting made it fairly evident that he would support the rebels.
Read: Trinamool Crisis Spirals: Ex-Minister Quits Party, MP Meets Amit Shah
Him being one of the most experienced parliamentarians in the party, sources believe that his inclusion would bring considerable political weight and expertise to the rebel camp.
Sources suggest that his decision to join the rebels comes at a time when the rebel MPs were reportedly unhappy with Ghosh Dastidar’s leadership.
Several of the MPs have been hesitant to accept her leadership, they said, with many believing that Bandyopadhyay’s entry could make him the most prominent leader of the dissident camp.
The developments add to the trouble for Mamata Banerjee, who has been struggling to save her party after last month’s election defeat. At least 60 of her 80 MLAs in West Bengal have also joined a rebel faction that refused to adhere to the party line.
A day earlier, senior party leader and former minister Manas Bhunia resigned from the party. The 74-year-old told NDTV that he was unhappy with the ongoing crisis in the party but did not reveal what his next course of action would be.
