New Delhi: Mamata Loyalists Criticise And Curse The Rebels
"The duty is to stand by workers who are being harassed and not being allowed to come on the streets. Instead, they are joining the BJP. We are very happy, people with such double character have left”: Banerjee
NEW DELHI: A day after a section of Trinamool Congress members in Parliament raised the flag rebellion against TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, her loyalists jumped in to criticise and curse the rebels for abandoning the party workers while they were facing allegedly facing harassment and political attacks in West Bengal.
Mamata loyalists Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad on Tuesday held a press conference to take on the rebel MPs terming them as “traitors” and accusing them of lacking political morality and maintaining links with the BJP. They challenged the rebels to join the BJP. "The duty is to stand by workers who are being harassed and not being allowed to come on the streets. Instead, they are joining the BJP. We are very happy, people with such double character have left,” said Banerjee.
At the same time TMC MP Mahua Mitra questioned the claims made by the Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who is at the forefront of the rebel faction, that 20 MPs have decided to write to Speaker Om Birla declaring support for the NDA. In a post on X, Moitra said the rebel group does not have the “magic number” of 19 needed to break away. TMC has 28 MPs in Lok Sabha.
“Even if traitors get 19 MPs (2/3) which they have not -- only option is to merge with BJP along with 2/3 of political party. Bhupinder Yadav and Lok Sabha Speaker cannot create separate political party or faction. (A) five judge bench in Subhash Desai vs. Principal Secretary, Governor of Maharashtra (2023), settled this,” Moitra posted on X.
The Mamata loyalists claims that several names of 20 MPs of TMC circulating in social media are fake. Kalyan Banerjee challenged the rebel MPs to return to their constituencies and face their party workers. Banerjee also alleged that Home Minister Amit Shah had contacted TMC MP Yusuf Pathan. "I talked to Yusuf Pathan yesterday. He was in Baroda. He said Amit Shah has called him and that he is coming to Delhi to meet him...Amit Shah is working to break the party, he is the person," Kalyan Banerjee alleged.
On the issue of rebellion within the party, Banerjee added, “The rebel MPs chose to visit Bhupender Yadav’s residence, and even West Bengal CM Suvendu Adhikari, was present there. The message is clear—they have effectively aligned themselves with the BJP. They have chosen to replace Mamata Banerjee with Narendra Modi.”
“Sitting in ACs room in Delhi so many big talks can be made but I would invite each of these MPs to return to their constituencies and face the grassroots workers and the people who elected them.
Let them listen to what the people have to say about their actions…Those who have suddenly jumped ship claiming they want to serve the people of Bengal must answer a few simple questions. How many of our workers, arrested on false and politically motivated charges, did they help secure bail for? How many families, devastated by the violence unleashed by BJP in Bengal after the elections, did they stand beside and support?
How many times did they raise their voice when our workers were harassed, attacked and persecuted? The truth is simple: those who abandoned the party did not just betray Trinamool Congress -- they betrayed our foot soldiers, the hardworking men and women who stood firm through every challenge. Our workers never abandoned them. They abandoned our worker,” said Banerjee.
Banerjee challenged the rebel MPs to formally merge with the BJP if they commanded the numbers they claimed. “But they cannot do so because the BJP will not take them,” he said adding this is because of the animosity between cadres of BJP and TMC.
Referring to former TMC Rajya Sabha MP Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who resigned from the Upper House after levelling allegations against the party, Banerjee said rebel MPs should also resign and contest on BJP ticket if they had grievances against the organisation.
He invoked “Maa, Mati, Manush” slogan saying, the people of West Bengal stand with them. Our workers, our foot soldiers stand with us. That is the strength of Maa, Mati, Manush! This bond is built on trust, sacrifice and an unwavering commitment to the people. No force on earth can break it. Bring all your agencies, all your machinery and all your might, but you will never win the hearts of Bengal’s people. Those hearts belong to the ideals of Maa, Mati, Manush,” Banerjee stressed.
Meanwhile, Kirti Azad said Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was removed as chief whip because she would not come to Parliament and would give instructions over the phone. “These traitors can leave, but they should never take the name of Trinamool. We were born out of struggle," Azad said.
