NEW DELHI, JUN 8 (AGENCEIS): The rebellion in Trinamool Congress reached the national capital on June 8 with several of its MPs holding a meeting at Union Minister and Bharatiya Janata Party West Bengal observer Bhupendra Yadav’s residence.
According to those present at the meeting, 20 of the 29 Trinamool Congress MPs in the Lok Sabha have come out in rebellion against party chairperson Mamata Banerjee and general secretary Abhishek Banerjee. The MPs are planning to form a separate bloc and support the BJP-led NDA government at the Centre.
Barasat Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is emerging as the leader of the proposed bloc. Dastidar, who was recently removed as Trinamool chief whip in the Lok Sabha, told sources close to her that she remains the party’s chief whip on paper and would submit a letter signed by 20 MPs to Lok Sabha Speaker seeking recognition of the group as a separate bloc.
West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari attended the meeting of the rebel MPs along with Yadav. Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who resigned from the party and the Upper House of Parliament, was also present. The meeting was held not far from the Constitution Club of India, where Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee participated in the INDIA bloc meeting.
Later in the day, Adhikari met about 10 MPs of the rebel camp at the residence of Trinamool MP Satabdi Roy in Delhi.
The development comes almost a week after nearly 60 of the 80 Trinamool Congress MLAs reportedly came out in rebellion and elected Ritabrata Banerjee as the new Leader of Opposition. Welcoming the developments, Ritabrata said the MLAs and MPs were guided by a common idea and claimed there was no way to raise grievances within the party.
