Will Trinamool Dissent Reach Parliament Now?

In the span of a month since assembly elections in West Bengal, state has witnessed nearly three-fourths of TMC MLAs seizing control of the legislature party followed by dissolution of party committees and frontal organisations. Now, reports suggest, the dissent has made its way to the floor of the national parliament as well, with speculations rife over a possible split in the party’s parliamentary group.

According to reports, around 23 members of parliament are in contact with the rebel group of MLAs led by Ritabrata Banerjee. The TMC has 28 members in the lower house. As per India Today, more than a dozen of the party’s MPs in the Lok Sabha are actively considering forming a separate group.

Notably, anti-defection law provisions warrant backing of at least 19 members from a total of 28 TMC MPs fulfilling support of two-third members for the speaker of the house to recognise the separate group. Similarly in the upper house, the threshold would be 9 from TMC’s tally of 13 MPs.

Adding to the speculation, TMC’s Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy said, "I have never seen close to 60 MLAs leave in such a short span of time. A similar reaction is likely in the Lok Sabha too." Roy has, in recent times, raised questions over the internal functioning of the party.

Beneath the growing disaffection among party ranks is the perceived arrogance of the party leadership and especially Abhishek Banerjee.

The discontent became public when party leaders called into question the letter sent by TMC leadership on June 1 to the Speaker’s office which designated Sobhabdeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of opposition (LoP), Nayona Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra as Deputy LoPs, and Firhad Hakim as Chief Whip. Leaders led by Ritabrata alleged that their signatures had been forged.

In New Delhi, the BJP is reportedly eyeing the split to further its tally closer to the two third mark in the House, enabling it to pass the otherwise stalled crucial proposals including women’s reservation,