Daijiworld Media Network - Kolkata/New Delhi
Kolkata/New Delhi, Jun 14: The internal turmoil within the Trinamool Congress appeared to intensify on Sunday, with rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claiming that the dissident camp backing her leadership has now grown to 22 Members of Parliament.
Speaking to reporters while travelling to New Delhi, Kakoli said the group plans to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday and formally seek recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc.
According to her, the strength of the rebel faction has increased from 20 MPs to 22, although she declined to reveal the identities of the two additional lawmakers who she claimed had decided to join the group.
“I am going to Delhi for a meeting. We now have 22 MPs with us. The Lok Sabha Speaker has given us an appointment for Monday, and we will submit our request for recognition as a separate bloc,” she said outside Delhi airport.
Sources within the dissident camp said a meeting initially planned in Kolkata was later shifted to Delhi. Discussions among the rebel MPs are expected to focus on their future political strategy and organisational structure.
The development comes days after Kolkata Uttar MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay reportedly aligned himself with the dissident group, taking its claimed strength to 20 MPs before Kakoli's latest announcement.
The rebellion within the party became visible earlier this month when differences emerged within the Trinamool Congress Parliamentary Party following the West Bengal Assembly election results.
Kakoli, one of the leading faces of the dissident camp, had earlier stated that around 20 MPs were prepared to break ranks with the party leadership. The faction is also understood to be exploring support for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.
A document that surfaced recently carried the signatures of 19 Trinamool MPs backing the rebel initiative. Among those whose signatures reportedly appeared on the document were Satabdi Roy, Bapi Halder, Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Banerjee, Jagadish Basunia, Asit Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari (Dev), June Malia, Partha Bhowmik, Khalilur Rahman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag and Mala Roy.
Sources also claimed that Rachana Banerjee and Saayoni Ghosh later endorsed the document separately.
The rebel MPs are believed to have submitted or prepared a letter seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary group under Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's leadership. However, there has been no official confirmation regarding when the letter was received by the Speaker's office.
Several prominent Trinamool MPs, including Abhishek Banerjee, Kalyan Banerjee, Sougata Roy, Mahua Moitra, Kirti Azad, Shatrughan Sinha, Pratima Mondal and Sajda Ahmed, were not among the signatories to the document that has circulated publicly.
Political observers are now closely watching whether the dissident faction can demonstrate the numbers it claims and whether additional MPs choose to join the group in the coming days.
The proposed meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker on Monday is expected to be a crucial step in determining the future course of the rebellion and its impact on the Trinamool Congress.
Key figures mentioned include Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Om Birla, Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and Suvendu Adhikari.