Days after the party faced a rebellion, Trinamool Congress general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday visited Delhi, amid fears that the split in ranks could reach the Parliament. Abhishek’s visit came a day before TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee is scheduled to visit the National Capital for an INDIA bloc meeting.
While Mamata and Abhishek were earlier scheduled to travel to Delhi at the same time for the opposition alliance’s meeting according to the original schedule, the latter reached the Capital a day earlier.
While an official reason for the visit was not specified, it is being viewed by leaders and observers as a possible attempt by the TMC’s top brass to assess the situation before the INDIA bloc meeting.
“I don’t know why Abhishek is going to Delhi today. I am not in Delhi or Kolkata now. I haven’t heard about any meeting,” a TMC MP, who did not wish to be named, was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
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TMC MLAs split, buzz over repeat of rebellion in Parliament
While the TMC had won 80 out of 294 seats in the West Bengal Assembly elections, 58 party MLAs rebelled openly earlier this week. The MLAs staked claim to become the principal Opposition party in Bengal, vertically splitting the party. Further, when the party’s leadership called a meeting at chairperson Mamata’s residence on Friday, only eight of the non-rebelling MLAs were present.
The MLAs’ rebellion is led by now-expelled party legislator Ritabrata Banerjee, who after a meeting with the Assembly Speaker on Wednesday said he had been appointed leader of Opposition in the House. The rebels after the split said they would request Mamata to be their “principal adviser”, but would have no interaction with her nephew Abhishek Banerjee. Now, the party’s crisis may be deepening, with speculations rife that a section of TMC leaders from Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha may be planning a similar move.
“I have never seen around 60 MLAs leave in such a short span of time. A similar reaction is likely in the Lok Sabha too,” PTI news agency quoted TMC leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy as saying. However, another party MP negated these claims, saying the MLAs’ split was a temporary setback.
“The BJP may try an operation in the TMC’s Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha wings, similar to what happened in the West Bengal Assembly. But Mamata Banerjee has fought bigger battles and will bounce back,” TMC MP Sougata Roy said.
