Jolt to Mamata as TMC split widens; Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claims 20 MPs back NDA
Senior Trinamool MP says nearly 20 parliamentarians have informed the Lok Sabha Speaker of their decision to support the ruling alliance at the Centre
The crisis within the Trinamool Congress escalated on Monday (June 8) after senior party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claimed that nearly 20 TMC parliamentarians had decided to support the NDA and had formally conveyed their position to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
The development is significant for the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which currently has 28 MPs in the Lok Sabha and 12 in the Rajya Sabha.
Speaking to PTI, Ghosh Dastidar said a letter had already been sent to the Speaker conveying the group’s desire to back the ruling alliance at the Centre.
“Nearly 20 TMC MPs, including me, have written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about our decision to support the NDA,” she said.
Claiming that she continued to be the party’s chief whip in the Lok Sabha, Ghosh Dastidar said the decision was taken after consultations with fellow MPs.
The development comes amid an intensifying internal crisis within the TMC, which has witnessed open dissent and resignations by senior leaders in recent days.
Ghosh Dastidar said the group had decided to align itself politically with the NDA, arguing that it reflected the popular mandate. “We have accepted the people's verdict and believe that our future political course should be aligned with the NDA,” she said.
The TMC leadership has not yet responded to the claims.
(With agency inputs)