Trinamool Split Wide Open, Section Of MLAs Back Expelled Leader In House

Is Mamata Banerjee's Trinamool Congress headed for a split in the Assembly? The appointment of the Leader of Opposition has exposed the divide within the party. Sources have told NDTV that a section of TMC MLAs are all set to back "rebel" Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the Vidhan Sabha. This will be a rebellion against party supremo Mamata Banerjee whose close aide and MLA, Sobhondeb Chattopadhyay, has been named party's official choice for the post.

Interestingly, Ritabrata Banerjee was on Monday expelled by the Trinamool Congress along with another MLA Sandipan Saha for alleged anti-party activities.

The resentment and division within the TMC since the defeat in the recent Assembly elections has been deepening by the day. Sources say that the leaders' anger is directed at party general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and not at its leader Mamata Banerjee.

The divide became clear on Sunday as 60 of the TMC's 80 MLAs skipped a meeting called at Mamata Banerjee's residence.

Sources say that hectic meetings are on in Kolkata to bring the disgruntled TMC MLAs on board and keep the party intact in the House.

Now, the latest twist in the Leader of Opposition appointment has further complicated matters for the embattled TMC. The issue came to a head as Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Monday alleged that signatures of some TMC MLAs were forged on the letter sent to the Speaker naming Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition.

Adhikari named two Trinamool MLAs - Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha - who had complained over the forgery of their signatures in a party letter endorsing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.

"Trinamool's corruption did not just target the people of Bengal but also its own MLAs. Trinamool stole its own MLAs' signatures. The complaint was made by two Trinamool MLAs, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha. We had no role in this," Adhikari said.

The two MLAs were later expelled by the Trinamool. Saha held Abhishek Banerjee responsible over the case, stating that it was the party general secretary who had signed the MLAs' list.
The West Bengal CID is probing the signature forgery charges. Several Trinamool leaders have been served notices in the case. The CID had even summoned Abhishek Banerjee for questioning.

Since the election loss, Trinamool is struggling to hold on to its leaders. Since losing power in the state, several party leaders openly voiced their dissatisfaction with the functioning of the party.

Taking a jibe at the state of affairs in the Trinamool Congress, senior BJP leader and minister Dilip Ghosh on Monday said, "only aunt and nephew (Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee) will be left in the party and all other leaders will leave".