NEW DELHI: Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs on Monday declared they would fight for control of the party's election symbol, asserting they remain part of the organization and seek to "rectify" it. This came a day after 20 dissident lawmakers announced their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
Rebel MPs Assert Their Position
Speaking to reporters, Arup Chakraborty said, "We have not left TMC; we're in TMC and trying to rectify the party. Why did it get damaged, that is not being discussed. We will fight for the party symbol; we have 20 members, why should we not fight for the symbol," as reported by news agency PTI.
Signaling a prolonged political and legal struggle, Chakraborty stated that the rebellion marks the beginning of a new phase in West Bengal politics. "A new game has started. Khela Hobe," he added, claiming the move would bring development and employment to the state.
Merger Announcement and Legal Implications
The remarks followed a meeting on Sunday where 20 rebel TMC MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and declared their merger with the NCPI. During the meeting, the MPs also requested a separate seating arrangement in Parliament, effectively formalizing their split from the Mamata Banerjee-led party in the legislature.
Six-time MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, who joined the rebel camp, said the dissident group would approach the courts to establish itself as the "real" TMC and stake claim to the party's iconic twin-flower election symbol.
TMC Leadership Responds
The rebellion has provoked a sharp response from TMC leadership, which argues the move is invalid under the anti-defection law. Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose stated that the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution requires the political party itself to merge or split before legislators can claim exemption from disqualification provisions.
In a post on X, Ghose explained, "Massive false information is being circulated on the 2/3rds majority and anti-defection law. The 10th Schedule and the Supreme Court have made it amply clear. It is the political party outside Parliament (not the party representatives sitting inside Parliament) which must first split or merge, and then after this condition, the people inside do not attract the anti-defection law if 2/3rds choose to break away."
Senior TMC leader Saugata Roy also attacked the rebels, accusing them of betraying the mandate on which they were elected. "Now it is clear that the AITC is the party with Mamata Banerjee as chairman. The symbol is two flowers, whose goal is to defeat the BJP," he told PTI Videos.
"Twenty MPs elected on TMC symbol decided to betray their voters by joining an obscure party, some National(ist) Citizens Party of India, illegally, declaring their support for the NDA under Modi," Roy said. "They obviously did this to avoid the provisions of Schedule 10(4) of the Constitution. People are watching this news."
Direct Attack on Mamata Banerjee
Chakraborty also launched a direct attack on Mamata Banerjee, claiming she was under pressure following the split. "Mamata Banerjee is scared; she can't even call a meeting of the party. She could not even hold a meeting in her constituency before the election," he said.
He further identified Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sudip Bandyopadhyay as the principal leaders of the rebel grouping.
Political Turmoil Beyond Parliament
The struggle for control of the TMC is unfolding beyond Parliament. In West Bengal, 64 of the party's 80 MLAs recently broke away and secured recognition as a separate legislative formation, with Ritabrata Banerjee becoming Leader of the Opposition. The Mamata Banerjee-led party has challenged that decision before the Calcutta High Court.
NCPI's Electoral Presence
The NCPI, with which the rebel MPs announced their merger, is a registered but unrecognized party based in Tripura and has little electoral presence. In the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, it contested three seats, with its candidates either finishing behind NOTA or securing only marginally higher vote counts.
