TMC headed for Shiv Sena-like split? Rebel group pitches expelled MLA as LoP

Around 60 of the Trinamool Congress's 80 MLAs arrived at the West Bengal Assembly on Wednesday for a meeting, adding to speculation that a dissident group may try to take control of the legislature party and stake a claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition. The developments came as the party faces internal unrest after its defeat in the recent Assembly elections.

Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee was at the centre of the ongoing tussle between the old guard and the new guard in the party. Rebel camp sources claimed he had letters of support from 59 MLAs and could seek recognition both as leader of the TMC legislature party and as Leader of the Opposition. Speaker Rathindra Bose's response is being watched closely, with the issue likely to decide who sits on the Opposition benches and who commands support within the party in the House.

Among those seen entering the Assembly were Arup Roy, Shiuli Saha, Akhruzzaman, Sandipan Saha, Sabina Yeasmin, Chandranath Sinha, Javed Khan, Samar Mukherjee and Prasun Banerjee. None of them was present at Mamata Banerjee's dharna in central Kolkata on Tuesday.

Leaders seen as close to the party leadership, including Sovandeb Chattopadhyay, Nayana Bandyopadhyay, Madan Mitra and Kunal Ghosh, stayed away from Wednesday's meeting.

Banerjee did not comment, but his presence led to fresh speculation of a formal confrontation between the dissidents and the leadership. Speaking to reporters, TMC MLA Sabina Yeasmin said, "We have come for a meeting to discuss the selection of the Leader of the Opposition. We will meet among ourselves."

When asked who had convened the meeting, she replied, "All of us." Neither Yeasmin nor several other MLAs attributed the meeting to Mamata Banerjee or TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.

Commenting on the recent developments, West Bengal minister Dilip Ghosh said that the TMC is facing a Shiv Sena-like scenario.

Ghosh said, "The TMC is such an old party like Shiv Sena, but it too had an ideological struggle and a distinct identity, and it eventually split because of power politics and the desire to break away from family control. These people have enjoyed power only for a few years, yet society now wants to move beyond family-centric politics. Therefore, I believe this is a fight against dynastic politics. Now, let us see what happens next."

Under the anti-defection law, a breakaway faction needs the support of at least two-thirds of a legislative party to avoid disqualification. With the TMC having 80 MLAs in the Assembly, that threshold is 54. If the rebel camp's claim of support from 59 legislators is correct, it would cross that mark. Only 30 MLAs are needed to stake claim to the post of Leader of the Opposition, but the present contest also concerns control of the legislature party and the party symbol.

The present crisis grew out of a procedural dispute. At a meeting of newly elected MLAs at Mamata Banerjee's residence on May 6, legislators reportedly authorised the party leadership to decide the names for Leader of the Opposition, deputy leader and chief whip. The TMC later informed the Assembly that Sovandeb Chattopadhyay would be Leader of the Opposition, Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim the chief whip.

The Assembly secretariat, however, did not act on that communication, saying the rules require those office-bearers to be elected at a formal meeting of the legislature party. The dispute then escalated after dissident MLAs alleged that the signatures on the communication were "fake".

The dissidents said no such resolution had been adopted on May 6 and that the legislators had only signed an attendance register. The party leadership rejected the charge and accused the rebels of acting at the behest of forces trying to destabilise the TMC after its electoral defeat. Earlier this week, the party expelled Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha.

Wednesday's developments revived questions over Mamata Banerjee's hold over the legislature party. At a meeting called by her earlier this week, attendance was reportedly limited to around 20 legislators, with dissident MLAs being absent.