'How can MLA expelled by party be LoP?': When 58 TMC legislators triggered assembly split by backing Ritabrata Banerjee

KOLKATA: The legislative wing of Trinamool Congress — the party that has governed Bengal for the last 15 years after being formed by Mamata Banerjee on Jan 1, 1998 — split on Wednesday.Fifty-eight Trinamool MLAs submitted a letter to assembly speaker Rathindra Bose, nominating first-time MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as leader of opposition in assembly, more than three weeks after the party leadership nominated veteran MLA Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay for the same post. Bose accepted the rebel bloc’s recommendation within hours and gave Ritabrata the key to assembly opposition leader’s chamber. The names of former ministers Javed Khan (MLA from Kasba) and Sabina Yeasmin (MLA from Sujapur), Seuli Saha (Keshpur MLA) and Sandipan Saha (Entally MLA) were proposed for deputy assembly opposition leaders’ posts while Raghunathgunj MLA Akhruzzaman’s name was proposed for the chief whip’s job. Speaker Bose had accepted all the recommendations, Ritabrata later said.The rebel bloc, significantly, comprises 17 Muslim MLAs.The rebel faction — by securing support of 58 MLAs — has bypassed the anti-defection law’s ambit, which stipulates support from at least twothirds of a legislative party. Trinamool won 80 seats in the recent assembly poll but expelled Ritabrata and Sandipan last week, bringing down its strength to 78. So the rebel bloc required support of 52 MLAs but got at least six more (Ritabrata later claimed support from two more MLAs).Wednesday’s developments mean the rebel bloc is now recognised as Trinamool’s official wing, at least within the state assembly. Whether the party, too, will follow the legislative wing and split falls in the Election Commission’s domain.Most of the rebels on Wednesday vented their ire on Trinamool general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and I-PAC but stressed party chairperson Mamata Banerjee continued to be their chief. Ritabrata, however, referred to Mamata as “chief adviser”. “We will request her to remain our chief adviser and guide this legislative party to do constructive work inside and outside the assembly. We appeal to her to recognise us as we have two-thirds majority. But Abhishek Banerjee has no relation with this legislative party,” Ritabrata said.The arrival of the 58 Trinamool MLAs at the assembly on Wednesday morning capped several days of fast-paced events over which Trinamool founder Mamata, her nephew Abhishek and their loyalists seemed to have zero control. It was the leadership’s first recommendation — proposing Sobhandeb’s name as the assembly leader of opposition — on May 9 that snowballed into the Signgate controversy after two party MLAs, Ritabrata and Sandipan, complained to the assembly Speaker that their signatures (and those of several other MLAs) had been forged. CM Suvendu Adhikari latched onto the complaint, prompting the administration to set up a special investigation team to probe the forgery charges in which Abhishek was named the main accused.Kunal Ghosh added, “How can a person expelled by the party be LoP? How can a first-time MLA (Ritabrata) be made LoP despite the party nominating a 10-time MLA (Sovandeb Chattopadhyay) for the post? This act is not just illegal, but immoral. Trinamool will seek all legislative and legal remedies at its disposal against the Speaker’s decision.”Lok Sabha MP Kalyan Banerjee said Trinamool would challenge the Speaker’s decision in court on three grounds. First, a Speaker does not have the right to “choose” an LoP and must act based on precedence and practice; second, an expelled MLA cannot be made that party’s LoP; and finally, Speaker has no right to decide which group within a party holds majority or minority as long as the official party has made its recommendations. “This is illegal and unconstitutional,” Banerjee told TOI.Earlier in the day, veteran MP Saugata Roy made a last-ditch effort to persuade Speaker Bose not to recognise Ritabrata as LoP, arguing he must act according to precedence, where the Speaker appoints LoP nominated by the opposition party. He pointed out Bose himself referred to Chattopadhyay as LoP when the House convened to unanimously elect him as Speaker. Once this argument was rejected, Kalyan Banerjee posted on X, “Trinamool Congress workers have always stood by Mamata Banerjee, stand by her today, and will continue to stand by her in the future. They are the true strength and spirit of the party. Those who choose to betray Didi today will ultimately be judged by people. Their actions only reinforce the perception that they are no different from BJP. Mamata Banerjee’s greatest strength lies in the unwavering dedication of the party’s grassroots workers and supporters. It is they who will continue to strengthen the organisation and carry forward its ideals with conviction and commitment.”