’Resign First, Then Join BJP’: TMC Takes On Rebel MPs

As a rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) spread from the West Bengal Assembly to Parliament, the party’s loyalist camp on Tuesday launched a sharp counterattack, challenging dissident MPs to resign before aligning with the BJP and questioning their claims of commanding support from 20 parliamentarians.

Speaking at the press conference MPs Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad warned “every rebel MP still holding a TMC seat”: “Those who betray workers and voters will eventually have to answer to them. If anyone wants to leave, leave openly. Fight under your own flag. Fight under the BJP symbol. But do not misuse the mandate that was earned under the Trinamool Congress.”

“We want to make one thing very clear,” Banerjee said. “If anybody wants to join the BJP, they are free to do so. But they should have the courage to do it openly. If you have political morality, if you have propriety, resign first and then fight on a BJP ticket. Do not use the platform and votes given by TMC and then betray the party.”

The rebellion has now reached Parliament, with dissidents seeking to form a breakaway faction that would work alongside the BJP-led NDA. The move came on the same day that Mamata Banerjee was in Delhi attending an INDIA bloc conclave aimed at projecting opposition unity.

Invoking Mamata Banerjee’s enduring political rallying cry as a counter to what the loyalist camp sees as a BJP-orchestrated attempt to break the party from within, Banerjee said:  “You have the CM, ED, CBI and other powers, but I have ‘Maa, Maati, Maanush’, my party workers, and the people of West Bengal”,  Show Us the Numbers

“We are hearing all kinds of claims like twenty MPs, nineteen MPs, separate group. We want to ask one simple question: where are the numbers? Under the law, do you have the required strength or not? If you are making such claims, place everything in the public domain,” Azad questioned. 

He pressed further on what he called a glaring absence of documentation. “We have seen a letter being talked about. We have seen allegations being circulated. If you are so honest, then disclose the letter. Why don’t you release the document publicly? Why don’t you show the signatures? Why don’t you place everything before the people and the media? The entire thing lacks transparency. If you have the courage, bring the documents before the country.”

Attack on Rebel Leadership

Banerjee accused the dissidents of maintaining public distance from the BJP while privately engaging with its leadership. Referring to reports and photographs of meetings with senior BJP leaders, including Union minister Bhupender Yadav, he questioned their claims of political independence and argued that leaders could not continue to benefit from the Trinamool Congress while simultaneously exploring ties with the BJP.

Rebel chief Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, the former TMC chief whip who claims the backing of 20 MPs and has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla asserting a separate faction, came in for sharp personal criticism. “Kakoli was given responsibility by Didi,” Banerjee said. “Even after differences and problems, opportunities were given. Now suddenly she wants to question the party after the election results. If there was such dissatisfaction, why was it not expressed before? Why only after the results? We want to ask these gaddars: why did your displeasure emerge only after the election? If your convictions were genuine, you should have fought your political battle openly.”

“Her removal and the appointment of Kalyan Banerjee as chief whip was already informed to the honourable Speaker last month by our honourable chairperson Mamata Banerjee. The question is, for how long will the BJP keep hoodwinking the people?,” Azad said.

On Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, the one rebel who resigned his Rajya Sabha seat before speaking out, both MPs struck a notably different tone. “We appreciate at least one thing, he resigned,” Banerjee said. “But those who continue making allegations while remaining MPs should also resign. If you believe the party is wrong, then leave the position that the party gave you. Don’t continue to enjoy the position while attacking the organisation.” 

Loyalists Rally Around Didi

Banerjee defended Mamata Banerjee’s leadership, arguing that the TMC was built through years of political struggle and sacrifice. He said party workers had stood by the organisation during periods of intense political confrontation and suggested that several of the leaders now criticising the party had themselves benefited from the foundation laid by those efforts. “Didi has built this party through sacrifice. The workers of Trinamool Congress will never accept betrayal.”

“They do not have political morality. Democracy works through transparency and accountability. If you are writing letters to the Speaker, if you are claiming numbers, if you are forming groups, then place everything before the public. We reject rumours and manufactured narratives. There is a deliberate attempt to create confusion and instability. The people of Bengal understand what is happening,” said Azad.

A Party Under Siege

The press conference came against the backdrop of the most serious internal crisis the TMC has faced since its founding. Following the party’s defeat in the 2026 West Bengal Assembly elections, 58 of the TMC’s 80 MLAs submitted a letter to the Assembly Speaker supporting expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition. The Speaker recognised the rebel camp, handing the dissidents control of the opposition benches. On June 2, Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha were expelled over alleged anti-party activities, after they alleged that signatures of several MLAs had been used without consent on an internal party letter.

TMC’s Mahua Moitra called the rebel MLAs “completely useless” leaders who had survived solely on Mamata Banerjee’s charisma. She singled out Berhampore MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan on X: “You are rushing to Delhi because Amit Shah has called you? Have some courage. You played for India. Our district voted you in with a huge margin. Have some shame and some spine.”

BJP, INDIA Bloc React to Crisis

BJP spokesperson Shehzad Poonawalla claimed that 60 TMC MLAs now call themselves the “real TMC” and that MPs too have lost faith in Abhishek Banerjee’s leadership. Sandipan Saha, speaking for the rebels, insisted the two-thirds majority threshold has been crossed and that the number is still growing. The INDIA bloc’s Congress partners have chosen their words carefully, with leader Ghulam Ahmad Mir arguing that the BJP was using central agencies to coerce MPs into switching sides rather than acknowledging a genuine internal split, avoiding passing judgment on Mamata while still pointing the finger at the BJP.

“In 2029, the BJP will finish in Bengal and at the Centre. You want to go to BJP, go to BJP. But do not use the name of TMC,” Azad said.