- Mamata Banerjee camp condemns rebels seeking BJP-led NDA support as betrayal
- Rebels chose their own chief whip, defying Mamata's pick for the post
- Kalyan Banerjee claims BJP will not accept rebels and they have insufficient numbers
The Mamata Banerjee camp has hit out at the rebels a day after they reached out to the Speaker to back the BJP-led ruling NDA, powering a mutiny that now risks splitting the Trinamool Congress.
Senior MP Kalyan Banerjee today called this an "act of betrayal" but gave out a message of relief that the rebels had now revealed their loyalties.
"We are very happy that the double-character people are gone. Whoever wants to go can go. We are okay with you leaving. But you cannot take the name of the Trinamool and Mamata Banerjee. People know the truth, and they stand by us," he said.
Read: Trinamool's Kakoli Dastidar Says 20 MPs Will Support NDA: "Written To Speaker"
However, he claimed the BJP won't take in any of them. "They don't have enough numbers to merge with another party," the Lok Sabha MP told a press conference this morning.
But deep within the party ranks simmered a tension over their future. A revolt by such a large chunk of MPs raises questions against the party leadership and leaves a poor impression on the electorate.
Sources indicate that the Trinamool has reached out to the rebels. The party's Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee is trying to convince them to return, reminding them of their close bond with Mamata Banerjee. But they remain adamant, sources said.
The 20-odd MPs had given a clear message to the party high command yesterday. They chose their own chief whip, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, in a striking defiance of Mamata Banerjee's decision to give the key parliamentary post to Kalyan Banerjee.
They had even written to the Speaker expressing their desire to back the NDA. On this, Kalyan Banerjee said that they will wait for the Speaker's decision before taking any legal recourse.
He, however, did not let go of his chance to take heavy digs at the rebels. He claimed the BJP was trying to break his party and asked if the rebels were afraid of the central government.
Read: This Actor-MP Has Been In Trinamool Since 2009. She Lists Why They Rebelled
"These leaders once campaigned for the Trinamool and praised Mamata Banerjee's leadership. Just because the Trinamool is not in power, these MPs are making such allegations. These rebel MPs cannot live without power," he said.
Banerjee also dared the rebels to visit their constituency and face those who had voted for them.
His fiery digs come amid a massive rebellion within the Trinamool following the party's crushing defeat in the West Bengal elections. The end of Trinamool's 15-year reign saw several leaders switch loyalty, leaving a 71-year-old Mamata Banerjee fighting for survival after spending five decades in politics.
Not just in parliament, the party now risks a split in the assembly too. At least 60 out of its 80-odd MLAs have already backed a rebel faction led by MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, who has been installed as the Leader of Opposition despite the Trinamool pushing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the role.
The rebel MPs and MLAs have listed widespread corruption and being sidelined during decision-making as reasons for them to part ways.
