Rebel TMC Leader Claims Speaker Appointed Him Leader of Opposition
In a major setback for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, expelled Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Ritabrata Banerjee claimed on Wednesday that Assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose had appointed him as the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly. Ritabrata further asserted that the Speaker has accepted the rebel group's claim for legislature party status.
"We are the real and main opposition in the West Bengal Assembly according to parliamentary norms," Ritabrata said during a press briefing. He also named Javed Khan, Sandeepan Saha, Sabina Yasmin, and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders of the TMC legislature party. Addressing the media, Ritabrata requested Mamata Banerjee to play the role of chief adviser of the TMC legislature party.
The move marks a dramatic escalation of the crisis within the TMC, with the rebel camp claiming control of the party's legislature wing following the party's defeat in the recent assembly elections. Ritabrata, who was expelled from the TMC earlier, said the rebel group consists of 58 legislators elected on the party symbol and claimed that two more MLAs are likely to join them.
Rebel MLAs Submit Support Letters
Earlier in the day, the rebel MLAs submitted letters of support to the Speaker, comfortably crossing the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law for a breakaway faction to avoid disqualification. The rebel camp also proposed a new leadership structure, naming Banerjee as legislature party leader, with Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha, and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders and Akhruzzaman as chief whip. Despite challenging the authority of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the rebels stopped short of directly confronting Mamata Banerjee. In their communication to the Speaker, they continued to recognize her as the party's chairperson while rejecting her nephew's role in the legislature party's affairs.
TMC Dissolves Organisational Committees
The developments prompted the TMC to dissolve all its organisational committees across West Bengal and announce a review of the party structure. The rebellion is widely seen as the biggest internal challenge faced by the party since its formation. Political analysts suggest that this power struggle could have significant implications for the party's future in the state, as the rebel faction seeks to assert its dominance in the assembly.
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