Kolkata: Talk has begun in West Bengal about forming a new Trinamool Congress that would exclude Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, after two party MLAs — Ritabrata Bandopadhyay and Sandipan Saha — were expelled for acting as whistle-blowers in the signature-row controversy.
Many observers are asking whether the “Maharashtra Model” could be replicated in Bengal, raising the possibility of a vertical split like the one that split Shiv Sena in 2022, as reported by NDTV.
That prospect has gained traction since the two expulsions, with speculation that about 50 MLAs might break away from the Trinamool. There are also reports that some MPs have been in discussions about joining a new formation.
Mid-Party Unrest
A large number of the party’s MLAs were absent from a scheduled meeting at Mamata Banerjee’s residence, and while some members are publicly criticizing the top leadership, others are being expelled for alleged anti-party behaviour.
Mamata Banerjee blamed both an internal faction and the BJP for the crisis. She claimed the BJP is trying to lure Trinamool MLAs and MPs with intimidation and money.
She said the police were being misused and accused some party leaders of treachery.
“Four MLAs came to me with complaints. They were being intimidated by the police. They were told that they would be arrested under the Arms Act if they attended the meeting. What kind of democracy is this? All limits of oppression have been breached in the state,” Mamata Banerjee said in a Facebook live video.
About 60 of the Trinamool’s 80 MLAs did not attend the Kalighat meeting on Saturday.
Sources told NDTV that while the Kalighat meeting was under way, some MLAs were gathered at Rathin Ghosh’s home; Ghosh, who missed the meeting at Banerjee’s house, said, “I was unwell, that’s why I could not attend.”
Some Trinamool legislators were also reported to have met at a south Kolkata hotel.
Appeal To Conscience Over Defections
Trinamool MLA Kunal Ghosh, without naming anyone, appealed to MLAs receiving calls and those who “held a meeting today at the Gateway Hotel,” saying, “I would like to appeal to those MLAs who are getting phone calls, specifically those who held a meeting today at the Gateway Hotel, please remember none of us were elected as independent candidates. We became MLAs by making a 70-year-old woman run tirelessly across the state and by leveraging her image. Surely, a human being ought to possess at least some semblance of conscience.”
“It is possible that an attempt is being made to split the party. However, I do not wish to hold the BJP responsible for this; instead, I hold these individuals accountable. They are opportunists,” he said, blaming the individuals involved rather than outside forces.
