Turmoil in TMC: Rebel MPs Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy meet Bhupender Yadav

Amid turmoil in the Trinamool Congress, rebel MPs including Saayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy met Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in Delhi. A suspended leader claimed up to 22 MPs are in their camp and will support the NDA.

Amid turmoil in the Trinamool Congress, political activity picked up pace in the national capital on Monday with some rebel TMC MPs reaching the house of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav.

Rebel MPs Meet Union Minister

Rebel TMC MPs Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy and Satabdi Roy reached the residence of Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in the national capital. Rebel TMC MPs Arup Chakraborty and Kakoli Ghosh also arrived at the residence of the Union Minister.

TMC Leadership in Huddle, Rebels Claim Numbers

Consultations are also taking place in Kolkata with TMC leaders Gautam Deb and Chandrima Bhattacharya reaching the residence of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.

Suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta said the number of MPs in their camp could go up to 22. He said they will support the BJP-led NDA. "The rebel MPs are heading to Delhi today. Kakoli Ghosh spoke in the morning, and two more MPs will likely join them, taking the number from 20 to 22. On Monday, all rebel MPs will meet the Speaker, and in the Assembly, they may propose having a separate Leader of Opposition. I have spoken to some of them personally, they said they will support the NDA," he said.

Party Cites Anti-Defection Law Against Rebels

Trinamool Congress Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose hit out at the rebels and said there is no legal provision under the anti-defection law for a "separate group" to function inside the House while continuing to hold seats won on a party's symbol.

In a post on X, Ghose said an MP or MLA can avoid disqualification only in the case of a formal merger between political parties, and even then, only under specific conditions.

"An MP or MLA will lose their seat or be disqualified under the anti-defection law unless their original political party merges with another party; and they either: Join the new/merged party, or Refuse to join the original merger. No legal provision of a 'separate group' inside Parliament or inside the assembly while sitting on an MP/ MLA seat previously won on the original party's name and symbol. The Law is clear. No 'separate group' inside the House on the same symbol is legal. Merge with a new party or be disqualified," she said.

"Else your membership of the House - parliament or assembly - is illegal," she added.

Deepening Crisis Sees Rajya Sabha Resignations

The Trinamool Congress is facing turmoil with a large section, which did not agree with Mamata Banerjee's choice of Leader of Opposition, having been granted "opposition" status and rebel MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, planning to meet the Lok Sabha Speaker for a separate sitting arrangement in the House.

Three Rajya Sabha MPs - Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Baraik - have resigned from their upper house and TMC membership.

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