TMC headed for a split, says minister; Kunal Ghosh slams Speaker

Amid growing speculation of a rift, TMC minister Tapas Roy claimed the party is headed for a split. Party leader Kunal Ghosh alleged the Speaker's office refused to accept a letter, escalating tensions within the ruling party in West Bengal.

TMC Rift Deepens: Minister Predicts Split, Leader Slams Speaker

Amid growing speculation over internal tensions within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), party leader Kunal Ghosh alleged that the Speaker's office refused to accept a letter submitted by the party, while state minister Tapas Roy claimed that the TMC was headed for a split.

West Bengal minister Tapas Roy said, "... The speaker is not here... I did not witness anything... The party (TMC) will break, which it should."

Speaking to ANI, Ghosh said, "Ashima Patra and I went to the Speaker's office to submit a new letter from the party. The Speaker was not there. According to the rule, we gave it to his office secretary. Today, the same person is saying that the speaker has verbally instructed him that he cannot receive any letter... What kind of custodian of democracy is the Speaker?..."

A day earlier, Trinamool Congress expelled two of its legislators, Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee, from the primary membership of the party with immediate effect on charges of anti-party activities.

BJP Hits Out, Rules Out Inducting 'Tainted' Leaders

The updates come amid a sharp political escalation, with Suvendu Adhikari launching a scathing attack on the TMC leadership over the case. Addressing a press conference, Adhikari asserted that the law will take its own course under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and warned that "nobody who forged signatures will be spared."

Detailing the timeline of the controversy, Adhikari said that on May 9, the AITC National General Secretary sent a letter to the Assembly Speaker proposing Shovondeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP, Nayana Bandyopadhyay and Ashima Patra as deputy leaders, and Firhad Hakim as the chief whip. This was followed by another letter on May 20 bearing 70 signatures.

Earlier in the day, West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya launched a sharp attack on the Trinamool Congress (TMC), declaring that the party will not induct leaders from TMC, asserting that the BJP has built its strength from the grassroots and will not include "tainted" individuals. He added that "Trinamoolisation of BJP will never happen."

Speaking to ANI, Bhattacharya said, "Our doors are closed for TMC. We reached the number 207 without importing anyone. The people voted against the leaders of TMC. Our political strategy this time started from the bottom. How can we include the people who are tainted in our party? Trinamoolisation of BJP will never happen."

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