- The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool is facing an existential crisis and it shows no signs of abating
- Satabdi Roy, 56, did not rule out the possibility of Mamata Banerjee losing her party
- "20 people are against her in parliament. Only 6 to 7 people are left with her," Roy claimed
Resignations, rebels, resentments.
The Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool is facing an existential crisis and it shows no signs of abating.
Lok Sabha MP Satabdi Roy, who is part of the rebel camp, told NDTV that a letter signed by a total of 19 Trinamool lawmakers has been submitted to Speaker Om Birla. A 20th - a 'big name', sources said - could sign soon.
The rebels, the letter states, wish to distance themselves from the party and align with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
"We signed (the letter). It's proof, we have that magic figure. I don't have any idea about the next meeting but I think it is already given to speaker Om Birla ji," Roy, a former Tollywood actor, told NDTV.
She said they have sought separate seating arrangements in parliament.
"I don't know the legal procedure. We want to sit as a different bloc and this is what we want," she told NDTV, adding, "Next session, we will get that separate bloc."
The next session, which is the Monsoon Session, begins mid-July.
A split, it appears, is on.
This means that if the breakaway bloc wants to be recognised as the main party, it needs at least 19 signatures, a two-thirds majority, to circumvent the anti-defection law.
The number strengthens the bloc's position against any potential disqualification challenge, say sources.
The Trinamool has 28 Lok Sabha and 13 Rajya Sabha MPs.
Trinamool's Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Prakash Chik Baraik - all Rajya Sabha MPs - resigned this week. Bringing the party's Rajya Sabha count to 10.
Asked if Mamata Banerjee, who lost her own seat in the Bengal polls, had reached out, Satabdi Roy said, "No. Not at all."
Amid the ongoing crisis in the party, Mamata Banerjee, 71, has not reacted to these developments.
Roy, 56, did not rule out the possibility of Mamata Banerjee losing her party.
"Most probably. It's a very sad thing. I don't want to say anything about her. Twenty people are against her in parliament. Only 6 to 7 people are left with her. We have that magic figure, 2/3rd majority, we have that," she said.
On Thursday, party veteran Kalyan Banerjee ripped into Mamata Banerjee's nephew and second-in-command, Abhishek Banerjee. "It is a great humiliation to me... His arrogant attitude has destroyed the party... He should understand that," the Trinamool leader fumed.
Kalyan Banerjee said it is impossible for him to work "because of this attitude of Abhishek Banerjee".
"She (Mamata Banerjee) has to decide... if she cannot move the party (forward) without Abhishek, then I will not be there," he declared.
The outburst followed reports Abhishek Banerjee - who faces a criminal investigation in a forgery case - had dropped him as his lawyer.
Asked about how Kalyan Banerjee's outburst is different from the rebel bloc's protest.
"His problem is a personal problem. We can say our problem is not personal. The party has suffered. He is a senior lawyer and Abhishek ignored him," Roy said.
Is Kalyan Banerjee joining you? NDTV asked Satabdi Roy.
"Don't know. Logically and ethically, he can't. He has said we are dishonest and opportunists. He has three options: he can quit politics, he can become dishonest like us and join us, and third, if Mamata chooses Abhishek, he may stay with Mamata and Abhishek."
