Abhishek Banerjee meets Rahul Gandhi amid TMC crisis, resignations

TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee met Rahul Gandhi amid an escalating crisis in the party, marked by high-profile resignations and a rebellion by 20 Lok Sabha MPs who are seeking separate seating and are reportedly in talks with the BJP.

Trinamool Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee met Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday at 10 Janpath in the national capital. The meeting comes amidst the continuous resignations of leaders and the ongoing political crisis within the TMC.

Earlier on Tuesday, Mamata Banerjee met Congress Parliamentary Chief Sonia Gandhi at her residence in New Delhi.

Wave of Resignations Jolts TMC

Earlier in the day, TMC's Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev resigned from the primary membership of the party, while affirming that she doesn't want a situation where she is in "two boats." "What prompted me to take this decision is a very long story. In politics, I don't think everything needs to be revealed. I did not want to be in a situation where I was in two boats. That is not the right way to do politics," she said.

On June 8, Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Ray resigned as a member of the Upper House of Parliament and from the primary membership of the TMC. In his resignation, Ray slammed the TMC over its massive defeat in the recently concluded West Bengal Assembly elections. He termed the verdict as an outcome of the "15-year anarchical rule" of the Mamata Banerjee-led party.

20 MPs Rebel, Seek Separate Seating

The series of resignations came amidst the ongoing speculations of a split in the TMC, with about 20 Lok Sabha MPs rebelling. Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had confirmed to ANI that a faction of 20 MPs has formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements. She said, "We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction of the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal".

Rebel MPs meeting Union Minister and BJP West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav and Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, has sparked speculation of the faction merging with the NDA.

As per the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, also known as the anti-defection law, the rebel MPs would require a merger with 2/3rd majority to avoid disqualification.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)