Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, June 10: As heavy storm continued to rock the Trinamool Congress boat, one more party member of the Rajya Sabha Sushmita Dev on Wednesday resigned both from the party and the Upper House while two of its Lok Sabha members and close associates of the party chief and former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee gave clear indications of joining the rebel camp.
Ms Dev was the second TMC Rajya Sabha member to quit both the party and the Upper House after Mr Sukhendu Sekhar Roy who left the party and resigned from the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
Soon after submitting her resignation to the Rajya Sabha chairman and vice-president CP Radhakrishnan, Ms Dev called on the Assam chief minister Himanta Biswa Sarma at his Delhi residence giving clear indication about her future political course. Later Ms Dev said she met Mr Sarma for “guidance” as she intended to work in Assam to serve the people of the state.
The crisis within the TMC further worsened on Wednesday as Jadavpur Lok Sabha MP Saayoni Ghosh and Kolkata Dakshin MP Mala Roy gave indications that they are likely to join the rebel faction led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar. Reports suggested that Saayoni Ghosh contacted Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, extended her support to the breakaway group and signed the documents backing the faction.
The film actor-turned-politician Saayani Ghosh was one of the strongest supporters of Ms Banerjee who had even projected the TMC chief as the “future prime minister.” But reports said one of her major grievances was the lack of support from the party leadership when she came under attack during an election campaign. She also reportedly felt isolated during that period and claimed that nobody within the party stood by her. She was also asked to cut short her campaign, a decision that added to her dissatisfaction with the organisation.
In a similar development, Kolkata Dakshin MP Mala Roy, a veteran leader and a key face of the TMC, is also likely to join the rebel bloc aligned with the NDA. Her move to join rebel camp comes at a time when the party is already reeling from losses in its traditional strongholds, including a significant defeat in Bhabanipur — Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s home turf — as well as the adjacent Rashbehari Assembly seat.
The move from these two MPs is particularly significant as Saayoni was recently appointed chief of the party’s women’s wing, making her one of the prominent faces of the Trinamool Congress.
Meanwhile, another actor-turned-politician and four-time Member of Parliament Satabdi Roy openly backed the rebel faction and launched a sharp attack on the party’s leadership, questioning its functioning after the election setback, and indicated that the rebel group would seek formal recognition while continuing to support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government at the centre and in West Bengal.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the party’s response to its electoral loss, Roy said the discontent among leaders was not because the party was defeated but because no serious introspection had taken place after the results. “The dissatisfaction began on May 4 itself. There was no post-mortem of the defeat. The opinions of local leaders were ignored,” she said.
Taking aim at the party’s decision-making structure, Roy alleged that party chief Mamata Banerjee had delegated key responsibilities to her nephew and party leader Abhishek Banerjee, who in turn relied heavily on election strategist I-PAC. “Mamata Banerjee left everything to Abhishek Banerjee… Abhishek Banerjee left everything to I-PAC… Our anger is not over the defeat in Bengal… Our anger is because there was no review of why we lost,” Roy added.
Roy strongly defended the rebel MPs and rejected allegations that they had betrayed the party. “I feel the party no longer belongs to Mamata Didi. If eight out of 28 MPs had rebelled, they could perhaps be called traitors. But when 20 out of 28 MPs have taken a different stand, how can all of them be labelled traitors?” she asked. Notably, her remarks are being seen as one of the strongest public criticisms of the party leadership by a sitting TMC parliamentarian amid the ongoing crisis.
Roy confirmed that the dissident lawmakers are planning to create a separate bloc in the coming days and would continue extending support to the NDA. “A separate bloc will be formed in the coming days. Twenty MPs will support the NDA,” she added. Experts believe the statement is likely to fuel speculation about a major political realignment in West Bengal and could significantly alter the state’s opposition scenario.
The four-time MP also alleged that corruption played a major role in the party’s electoral setbacks and accused the leadership of placing excessive trust in a select group of advisers. “There is corruption behind the party’s defeat. Too much reliance was placed on Abhishek Banerjee and I-PAC,” Roy alleged.
Roy also hinted that she may eventually leave the Trinamool Congress if circumstances require it. “In the coming days, if necessary, I may also leave the party because rules have to be followed,” she said. Roy further revealed that she had spoken with senior BJP leader and Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari regarding the ongoing developments. “There have been discussions with Suvendu Adhikari. He told us that he would extend assistance,” she added.
With Saayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy rebelling against TMC, and Sushmita Dev resigning from Parliament, the political turbulence within the Trinamool Congress appears to be intensifying, posing fresh challenges for Mamata Banerjee and the party leadership. In the wake of these developments, the Trinamool Congress is facing one of its most severe political crises in recent times, as internal dissent deepens following electoral setbacks in the West Bengal Assembly elections.
With the rebellion gathering momentum, senior leaders including Abhishek Banerjee, Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, and Kirti Azad are increasingly finding themselves under pressure, with the party’s strength in the Lok Sabha potentially shrinking further.