"Want to work for national interest and state development," says rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh, claims support of 20 MPs

Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Monday escalated the internal crisis within her party by announcing that a faction of 20 MPs has formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements.

Speaking to ANI on the development, Ghosh Dastidar said, "We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction of the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal".

Highlighting the faction's motivations, she added, "We are against the lawlessness, misgovernance and unemployment in the state of West Bengal over the past few years."

Kakoli Ghosh has been a confidante of Mamata Banerjee and now believes that 'national interest' has forced her hand in rebelling against her former boss

"Things have been getting from bad to worse, and I have been with Mamata Banerjee for 40 years... It is useless to say that just because she is not in power in West Bengal, I have left. It is not that... In the last 3-4 years, the pressure was too much on the government officers to work according to the whims and fancies of certain leadership... We want to work for the development of the state and for the national interest and the safety and security of the nation. That is why we want to work separately," she said.

The development comes amid intensifying internal turmoil following the party's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections, which saw the state elect its first BJP government under Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The political rift was starkly visible today as Mamata Banerjee arrived in New Delhi for an INDIA bloc meeting at the Constitution Club. While Banerjee, national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, and other loyalist senior leaders attended the opposition conclave, a significant rebel faction took a different path.

The dissident MPs, including Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Shekhar Ray, who submitted his resignation earlier on Monday, convened at the Motilal Nehru Marg residence of Union Minister and BJP West Bengal election in-charge Bhupender Yadav. The meeting was also attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.

The dissident camp's move appears to be a calculated effort to navigate the legal complexities of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. By securing the support of approximately 20 MPs, the faction appears to have surpassed the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law's merger provision. Should the group be recognised by parliamentary authorities, they could potentially seek protection from disqualification, effectively formalising their shift toward the NDA.

The anti-defection law requires a faction to have at least two-thirds of the party's strength to avoid automatic disqualification. With the TMC holding 28 seats, the rebels only need the support of 19 MPs to make their move legally viable. WIth Kakoli claiming the support of 20 it appears curtains for the Mamata Banerjee faction.

The unfolding events present the most significant parliamentary challenge yet for the TMC leadership, signalling a volatile new chapter in West Bengal's political landscape. (ANI)