- Mamata Banerjee called the Trinamool Congress's survival a do-or-die battle amid internal revolt
- About 50-60 of 80 MLAs are reportedly rebelling against the party leadership
- Trinamool faces protests and allegations of forged signatures for the Leader of Opposition post
It's a "do or die battle" for the survival of the Trinamool Congress as the party increasingly sees signs of its MLAs taking a decision that could end the outfit led by former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
At a protest today against what she called attacks on Trinamool workers following the election verdict that propelled the BJP to power in her state, she said she would not abandon party workers even if other leaders run away.
"For us, it's a do or die battle," Mamata Banerjee said, surrounded by a crowd of supporters who shouted slogans against the BJP. "Some people are betraying us to break the Trinamool Congress. Anti-BJP parties will meet in Delhi to decide on our country-wide course of action," she said.
She came to the protest site after her party's request to hold the protest at their preferred venue was turned down by the Kolkata Police. "We were not given permission to set up a stage or use microphones," Mamata Banerjee said.
Her party faces an existential crisis as some 50-60 out of the 80 MLAs are said to be in a rebellion mode.
The BJP has pointed out there is serious public anger against Mamata Banerjee's party over her long misrule, which is visible in how the public expressed it. Just days ago, her nephew Abhishek Banerjee was beaten up during a visit to South 24 Parganas' Sonarpur.
Trinamool leader Kunal Ghosh, who accompanied Mamata Banerjee at the protest, told NDTV that the same MLAs who are thinking of betraying the party are the ones who won the election in "Mamata Didi's name".
The Trinamool is trying to put up a brave face at a time when it is absolutely grappling with an internal revolt that has jolted the party after the drubbing in Bengal. The BJP won 207 of the 294 assembly seats.
Mamata Banerjee yesterday in Kolkata alleged two Trinamool MLAs had written to the assembly Speaker that their signatures had been faked for the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition. The matter is now under investigation. That episode proved the Trinamool is also battling an internal revolt.
The party has suspended many leaders for speaking against it in recent times, following the election loss. Mamata Banerjee herself lost her Bhabanipur seat to the BJP's Suvendu Adhikari, who is now the chief minister.
Loyalists of the former chief minister including Firhad Hakim, Madan Mitra, Derek O'Brien, Kalyan Banerjee and Dola Sen attended the protest, despite the conspicuous absence of most of the fresh faces who won the election with Trinamool tickets.
