TMC crisis: Not 19, but 22 MPs? Kakoli Dastidar signals major changes in rebel bloc ahead of crucial Monday meeting
22 would also be way past the two-thirds majority mark, allowing the rebel MPs to easily exit the TMC without invoking the anti-defection law
22 would also be way past the two-thirds majority mark, allowing the rebel MPs to easily exit the TMC without invoking the anti-defection law.
22 would also be way past the two-thirds majority mark, allowing the rebel MPs to easily exit the TMC without invoking the anti-defection law.
22 would also be way past the two-thirds majority mark, allowing the rebel MPs to easily exit the TMC without invoking the anti-defection law.
As the Trinamool Congress (TMC) fights to keep its MPs together amid a massive internal crisis, rebel bloc leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said on Sunday that the group had the support of 22 MPs—not 19 or 20.
While the party has remained tight-lipped on who these two leaders could be, the fact is that if 22 TMC MPs officially break away, it would only be left with four—a massive step down from being the third-largest party in the Lok Sabha.
22 would also be way past the two-thirds majority mark, allowing the leaders to easily exit the party without invoking the anti-defection law.
"We are going to Delhi for a meeting. Twenty-two MPs are with us. The Speaker has given us time. We will meet him on Monday and seek recognition as a separate bloc," Barasat MP Dastidar told PTI.
The meetings are reportedly aimed at hashing out the rebel bloc's equations with the NDA alliance in the Parliament.
The rebel MPs are also scheduled to meet with West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari ahead of meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday.
This comes on the back of several rebel leaders meeting with Union Minister and senior BJP leader Bhupender Yadav, which includes Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Satabdi Roy, Arup Chakraborty and Sudip Bandyopadhyay.
Sudip, a veteran leader and another close aide of TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, is one of the latest high-profile faces to exit the TMC amid dissent over the growing influence of Abhishek Banerjee within the party.
Though the Kolkata Uttar MP's signature had not been a part of the 19 that were earlier confirmed to belong to the rebel MPs, his meetings with Yadav and Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Saturday left no room for doubt.
A Times of India report claimed that with the six-time MP now onboard, he could head the rebel bloc—not just because of seniority, but also since several MPs within it are allegedly reluctant to have Dastidar at the helm.
It led to a furious Mamata Banerjee calling a meeting at her Kalighat home, in which his post as the TMC's North Kolkata district president was given to spokesperson and loyalist Kunal Ghosh.
All eyes are now on how the leadership within the bloc will change, and how that will impact the party's crucial meeting with the Speaker on Monday.