The opening day of the Budget Session of the West Bengal Legislative Assembly on Thursday saw MLAs from both factions of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) facing off in the House. MLAs of the Mamata Banerjee faction claimed that Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay had been allotted the Leader of the Opposition (LoP) seat by the Assembly Secretariat.
"We are the opposition party. Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay is the Leader of the Opposition, and that is what the people have accepted. We do not give importance to what others say," said Kunal Ghosh while addressing the media, with Chattopadhyay and Madan Mitra by his side.
Chattopadhyay was named Leader of the Opposition by the Mamata Banerjee camp, but the decision became controversial after allegations surfaced that 14 of the 70 signatures on the supporting resolution were forged. The document was endorsed by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is currently facing questioning by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) in connection with the matter.
"We will get our opportunity as opposition leaders. We are the Trinamool Congress," added Kunal Ghosh.
Ghosh said Chattopadhyay, the senior-most MLA in the Mamata Banerjee camp, was accorded prominence in the assembly seating arrangement.
Rebel TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee was recognised as Leader of the Opposition by Assembly Speaker Ratindra Bose after a resolution backing him reportedly received the support of 58 of the party's 80 MLAs.
"Yesterday, the Secretariat categorically informed me that this was the seat of the Leader of the Opposition and that I would be sitting there. So I sat on that seat," said Ritabrata Banerjee.
Ritabrata received a further boost on Thursday after the Calcutta High Court declined to grant an interim stay on his recognition as Leader of the Opposition.
"What faction? Out of the 80 MLAs, 60 are with us," added Banerjee.
"The honourable High Court has given its ruling. We respect the ruling of the High Court."
Both factions are looking to consolidate their positions in the Assembly as the principal opposition group. With the TMC remaining divided, it remains to be seen whether the Mamata Banerjee faction will secure adequate space to voice its views on the floor of the House. For now, however, the balance appears to tilt in favour of the Ritabrata Banerjee camp.
Meanwhile, party leaders said a group of TMC legislators loyal to Mamata Banerjee are likely to get a separate room and dedicated speaking time in the Assembly. The development came after a meeting with Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari on Thursday.
Chattopadhyay and former TMC spokesperson Kunal Ghosh, among the prominent faces of the Mamata Banerjee camp in the legislature party, described their meeting with the chief minister as positive and said their concerns regarding seating arrangements, security and legislative functioning had been addressed.
"We raised some specific issues before the chief minister. He showed us due respect. There was a detailed discussion on our seating arrangements, a separate room and security-related matters," Chattopadhyay told reporters after the meeting.
According to the two leaders, Adhikari called Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shankar Ghosh during the discussion and directed him to immediately arrange a separate room for the legislators aligned with Mamata Banerjee and ensure that they were allotted independent time to participate in assembly debates.
—with inputs from PTI
