Daijiworld Media Network – Delhi
Delhi, Jun 16: Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MLAs in West Bengal on Monday kept their options open after 20 Lok Sabha MPs merged with the little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and extended support to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The rebel legislators were not part of the discussions that led to the decision by the Lok Sabha MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, to seek separate seating arrangements in the Lower House and merge with the NCPI. The move is being viewed as an attempt to counter possible disqualification proceedings under the anti-defection law.
Ritabrita Banerjee, who leads a group of around 60 of the 80 TMC MLAs and has been recognised by Speaker Rathindra Bose as the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, said the legislators had not yet decided to merge.
“As of now, we are not merging,” Banerjee told Deccan Herald.
He said the group's campaign was against “individual cult” politics and stressed that any future decision would be taken collectively. Earlier in the day, Banerjee had stated that the merger decision was taken by the MPs on their own and that the MLAs had no prior knowledge of the move.
The Uluberia MLA has emerged as the central figure in the rebellion against Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee within the Assembly and claims to enjoy the support of more than two-thirds of the TMC legislators.
While Dastidar and the rebel MPs formally merged with the NCPI on Monday, no similar move has been initiated by the MLAs. Under the law, a merger requires the support of at least two-thirds of a party’s legislature wing in Parliament as well as in the respective state Assembly.
If Banerjee’s faction eventually joins the NCPI and extends support to the NDA in West Bengal, he would lose his position as Leader of the Opposition because the group would then become part of the ruling bloc. Banerjee claimed that his camp currently enjoys the support of 65 MLAs.
As per Assembly rules, a party must have at least 10 per cent of the total strength of the House to qualify for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
If Banerjee’s figures are accurate and his group joins the NDA, the Mamata Banerjee-led faction would be reduced to less than 10 per cent of the Assembly strength. In such a scenario, the continuation of Leader of the Opposition status for the remaining TMC legislators would depend on whether the ruling side chooses to relax the rule.
Meanwhile, rebel MP Arup Chakraborty said the breakaway faction would seek control of the Trinamool Congress election symbol. The Mamata Banerjee-led camp, however, termed the move illegal under the anti-defection law.
“We have not left TMC; we are in TMC and trying to rectify the party. Why the party suffered damage is not being discussed. We will fight for the party symbol. We have 20 members, so why should we not fight for it? A new game has started... ‘Khela Hobe’,” Chakraborty was quoted as saying by PTI.
Reacting to the developments, TMC Rajya Sabha Deputy Leader Sagarika Ghose said misleading information was being spread regarding the anti-defection law and the two-thirds majority provision.
“The Tenth Schedule and Supreme Court rulings have made the position clear. It is the political party outside Parliament, and not merely its elected representatives inside Parliament, that must first split or merge. Only after that condition is fulfilled can legislators avoid disqualification under the anti-defection law if two-thirds of them choose to break away,” she said.