Rebel TMC MP Jagadish Barma Basunia announced that 19 dissident MPs are set to meet the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 15. The group will seek recognition as the 'real TMC' and request separate seating arrangements in the House.
Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Jagadish Barma Basunia on Saturday said that a group of dissident party MPs is scheduled to meet the Lok Sabha Speaker on June 15, adding that all 19 rebel parliamentarians are expected to be present during the interaction.
Speaking to reporters in Delhi, Basunia said the rebel MPs had been given an appointment for Monday to meet the Speaker. He added that the MPs would first hold a meeting on Sunday before proceeding with their planned engagement in Parliament. "We have been given a date for Monday (June 15) for a meeting with the Lok Sabha Speaker. All rebel MPs will meet him. Our MPs are coming to Delhi tomorrow. A meeting of all MPs with CM (Suvendu Adhikari) will be held on Sunday (June 14), and then we will go to the Speaker on Monday.
Rebels to Seek 'Real TMC' Tag
Nineteen Trinamool Congress rebel MP Jagadish Barma Basunia has earlier said that they will be meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and seek recognition as 'real TMC' in the House. He also told ANI that they will be seeking a separate seating arrangement in the House. "We have formed the 'real TMC' group. The maximum number of MPs is with us," he told ANI. Basunia said they would urge the Speaker to recognise them as the real TMC. "We will demand action, not the same seating arrangement with other TMC...", he said. The meeting with the Speaker is slated to take place on June 15.
Asked if rebel TMC MPs received any call from party chairperson Mamata Banerjee, Jagadish Barma Basunia said he did not get any call. He said there has been no contact." I did not get any call. I do not know if any MP got a call. There has been no contact," he said.
Internal Turmoil Deepens
Trinamool Congress has been facing internal turmoil after the loss in the assembly polls. While a large section of the party's legislators have rebelled and have been "recognised as the opposition" in the Bengal assembly, the rift has also hit the party's parliamentary group. Three TMC MPs have resigned from the Rajya Sabha, and the group of rebel MPs in the Lok Sabha has claimed the support of 20 MPs. Sources said 19 breakaway MPs, including senior leaders Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Satabdi Roy, submitted their names to the Lok Sabha Speaker's Office on May 18. The list of MPs also includes Bapi Haldar, Dr. Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia, and Partha Bhowmick.
Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has said that a group of 20 MPs has formally sought separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha, signalling a split within the party's parliamentary ranks.
BJP Says TMC is 'Imploding'
Rajya Sabha MP Harsh Vardhan Shringla said earlier in the day that the Trinamool Congress is imploding. "It is natural that this party is imploding... It is a one-state party, and when that state was lost, people started abandoning it. Secondly, irregularities, malpractices, and misgovernance have been the hallmark of TMC," he said.
"Many members of the party are trying to disassociate themselves from all of this. It is a good thing that they are recognising that the BJP will provide the change that people in Bengal want in terms of development, governance, strong administration, and security," he added. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)