A resolution supporting Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition in Bengal Assembly was submitted by the Trinamool to the Speaker last month. Sandipan Saha, the expelled Trinamool MLA, claims the legislators signed an attendance register which was later presented as a resolution, and termed it an "immoral act".
The crisis in Trinamool reached a breakpoint on Wednesday when 58 rebel MLAs elected expelled leader Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition, wresting control of Trinamool's legislature party, and secured recognition from the Assembly Speaker, plunging Mamata Banerjee's outfit into its gravest internal crisis since its inception.
"We were made to sign one register as attendance and then later we found that the register was transformed into a resolution, stating who would be the LoP, who would be the chief whip. But what we had done, we had signed a register and that signature was as an attendance and there were names of MLAs written in block letters who were not even present in that meeting and that got submitted. When we got to know, Ritabrata Banerjee and myself, we thought that this is something not only immoral but this cannot be done in an assembly, this is flouting the rules of the assembly," Sandipan Saha told NDTV.
Ritabrata and Sandipan formally complained to the Speaker, alleging forgery.
A police investigation was ordered.
"We brought this to the notice of the Speaker. He asked for an enquiry. Once the enquiry started, it came out that what we thought might have happened. There are signatures, there are names of the MLAs in block letters who were not present in that meeting. So such kind of immoral activities we thought we should not be part to it because as we take oath, we have our allegiance towards the law and that what we expressed and when it came out in open, there were MLAs who started contacting us, supporting our move and that transpired into what has happened yesterday," Saha said.
What began as a procedural dispute soon snowballed into a battle for control of the legislature party and eventually into the biggest challenge to Mamata Banerjee's authority since she founded the party.
Asked why he did not raise the matter within the party, Saha said the spaces for discussion within the party have been shrinking.
"With whom would we raise the matter? We do not get a chance to speak to our leadership. If we question anything then we are being told that 'I have tweeted, see the tweet, you will get the answer'. There is no scope of asking any question or discussing anything. So whom would we ask? Saha said.
The dissident camp unveiled a new leadership structure, naming Ritabrata Banerjee as LoP and Akhruzzaman as chief whip. Senior legislators and party old-timers Javed Ahmed Khan, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yasmin and Shiuli Saha were appointed deputy leaders.
"That was a democratic decision. From the very beginning we have taken a stand that here orders would not be given by one or two people, decisions would not be made by one or two people and the rest would have to follow. Everything would have to happen through discussion in a democratic way and that is how it should happen. If these 58 MLAs are together, they are the principal opposition and the principal opposition decides who will be their leader. They have decided Ritabrata Banerjee to be the leader, so be it," Saha said.
The expelled leader praised the contributions of Mamata Banerjee.
"She definitely has been a stalwart leader, a firebrand opposition leader, then Chief Minister for 15 years. There is no doubt that she started this party, but the ideology with which she started this party does not exist," he added.
