New Delhi, June 8 -- Even as Trinamool Congress chief and former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and her nephew Lok Sabha MP Abhishek Banerjee were attending the INDIA bloc meeting here on Monday, the party appears to be under severe strain as the crisis within the party seems to be deepening further.

Defying the leadership of Mamata Banerjee, several Trinamool Congress MPs went ahead and met Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav at his residence at 9, Motilal Nehru Marg, barely a couple of kilometers away from the Constitution Club where opposition INDIA bloc meeting was in progress. The rebel Trinamool Congress MPs meeting with Bhupendra Yadav assumes an added significance as it took place in the presence of Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The big political drama began in the afternoon when Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a longtime colleague and confidant of Mamata Banerjee, claimed that nearly 20 Lok Sabha members had flouted the party's chain of command and were prepared to pursue a well-thought-out legal strategy.

The exact number of MPs is not known, though. Neither of the TMC's Lok Sabha MPs who were at Union Minister Yadav's residence spoke to the media. They came in through the front gate and exited from the back gate.

According to sources, Lok Sabha members - Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar (Barasat), Prasun Banerjee (Howrah), Satabdi Roy (Birbhum), Asit Mal, Bapi Haldar (Mathurapur), June Malia (Medinipur), Jagadish Basunia (Cooch Behar), Kalipada Soren (Jhargram), Arup Chakraborty (Bankura), Partha Bhowmick (Barrackpore), Sharmila Sarkar (Bardhaman Purba) and Dev Adhikari (Ghatal) were present in the meeting. Those who have reportedly pledged support from behind the scenes - although not physically present at the meeting, three MPs have already held discussions with the BJP leadership - are Rachana Banerjee (Hooghly), currently on a family vacation abroad; Yusuf Pathan (Baharampur) and Shatrughan Sinha (Asansol).

The new group of dissident Trinamool Lok Sabha members asserted that their leader, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, had sent a letter endorsing the NDA to Speaker Om Birla. However, the Millennium Post was informed by Lok Sabha authorities that Birla is not in the Capital and that no such letters have been delivered to his office.

On the other hand, political analysts assert that this method follows a political pattern that is quite well-known in the state assembly. While 58 Trinamool MLAs created their own bloc in the West Bengal state assembly some time back, now the same pattern has been brought to the Lok Sabha.

Although this new parliamentary bloc will not have a single designated leader, Barasat MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar will continue to function as its Chief Whip.

According to sources, all the dissident Trinamool Congress Lok Sabha members condemned and discussed the way Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was removed and replaced by Kalyan Banerjee in the post of Chief Whip of TMC in the Lok Sabha during the meeting at Bhupender Yadav's residence.

TMC's Lok Sabha member Kirti Azad took on BJP leadership on social media and posted a letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker, Om Birla, dated May 20, and mentioned, "Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is claiming that she is the chief whip and because of that, she has written to the honourable Speaker of the Lok Sabha claiming to be the chief whip. Her removal and appointment of Kalyan Banerjee as the chief whip were already informed to the Hon'ble Speaker last month by our Hon'ble chairperson, Mamata Banerjee. The question is how long the BJP will keep hoodwinking the people?"

Insiders said that before joining the BJP, the MPs are reportedly negotiating specific guarantees about their political future in addition to their plans to leave the Trinamool Congress. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey also reportedly attended the meeting at the home of Union Minister Yadav who is also BJP's West Bengal observer.

This apart, political experts feel that if the rebel MPs opt for switching allegiance to BJP directly, these members would have run the risk of being disqualified on the grounds of defection. Instead of defecting to another party, they may form a separate group within the Lok Sabha that seems to follow a legal route by which they can avoid the provisions of the anti-defection law.

TMC Lok Sabha member from Krishnanagar constituency, Mahua Moitra, made a scathing attack on the rebel bloc and said, "MPs won in 2024 on the TMC ticket. Mandate was NOT for NDA. All the greedy, self-serving traitors with yellow-stained pants can please join BJP now- resign your seats & contest on BJP ticket. Let's see what big heroes you are."

Sources also said that in the meeting with senior BJP leaders, the dissident MPs apparently expressed concern over losing their state-assured security once they leave the Trinamool Congress and also face potential political backlash once they return to their home state. Therefore, they have asked for central security at high levels, with some even requesting an equal or higher level of security.

Political analysts claim that the BJP has handled the matter skilfully to bring about more pressure on the Trinamool Congress leadership, which is already facing trouble within the party after the party's defeat in the recently held state assembly elections.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.