Amid TMC's 'self-destruction', Dasgupta cautions BJP on defectors

BJP's Swapan Dasgupta warns his party against accepting TMC defectors amid a major internal revolt in the Trinamool Congress following its 2026 poll defeat. He called for the 'detox of Bengal' and cautioned against 'false friends'.

and BJP leader Swapan Dasgupta on Thursday reacted to the deepening crisis within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), cautioning his party against embracing defectors as the opposition outfit grapples with an unprecedented internal revolt following its defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.

In a post on X, Dasgupta said he was not saddened by the turmoil within the TMC but stressed that the BJP must remain vigilant against opportunistic political alignments. "I shed no tears for the TMC's self-destruction. My only hope is that the political culture of the vandals doesn't start contaminating the W.Bengal BJP. We in the BJP have to be always wary of false friends who are today cosying up to us because they need to wash away their past sins. The detox of Bengal cannot be left incomplete," Dasgupta wrote.

I shed no tears for the TMC’s self-destruction. My only hope is that the political culture of the vandals doesn’t start contaminating the W.Bengal BJP. We in the BJP have to be always wary of false friends who are today cosying up to us because they need to wash away their past… — Swapan Dasgupta (@swapan55) June 4, 2026

Major split in TMC legislature party

His remarks came amid a dramatic split in the TMC legislature party, just days after the party lost power in West Bengal following 15 years in government. In a major setback for the party leadership, 58 of the TMC's 80 MLAs reportedly approached Assembly Speaker Rathindranath Bose, staking claim to the TMC Legislature Party and electing recently expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Opposition.

The development has effectively isolated Diamond Harbour MP Abhishek Banerjee, with rebel legislators publicly declaring that he would have no role in either the legislature party or organisational structure going forward. Despite the rebellion, the dissident group has maintained that former Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee remains their leader. The faction has proposed that she serve as a chief advisor to guide the opposition in the Assembly.

Meanwhile, the TMC high command has challenged the legitimacy of the move, alleging irregularities in the signatures submitted to the Speaker. Senior party leader Kunal Ghosh claimed several MLAs' signatures appeared on competing letters submitted by both factions and said the matter would require legal scrutiny. (ANI)

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