NEW DELHI: Trinamool Congress leader Mahua Moitra on Friday launched a fresh attack on the party’s rebel MP’s, saying that all 19 “traitors” backing the breakaway camp “must resign and fight on BJP ticket”.Mahua argued that the rebel MPs were misinterpreting the law and said the Constitution does not permit the formation of a separate faction within a political party.“Traitor TMC lawmakers don’t know law. Constitution 91st Amendment 2003 removed the provision for split/ separate bloc,” Mahua wrote on X.“Number of MPs is irrelevant- 2/3 of original political party has to MERGE with another party. All 19 traitors need to resign & contest on BJP ticket,” she added.Her remarks come amid an escalating tension within the TMC after 19 rebel MPs sought separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha, fuelling speculation of a formal split in the party and a possible alignment with the BJP-led NDA.Mahua reiterated an argument she had made earlier this week, claiming that even if the rebels secure the support of two-thirds of the party’s MPs, they cannot function as an independent parliamentary group.“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 & @loksabhaspeaker cannot create separate political party or faction,” she said in an earlier post on X.Citing a Supreme Court judgment, she added, “5 judge bench in Subhash Desai vs. Principal Secretary, Governor of Maharashtra (2023), settled this.”The latest exchange comes as signs of an organisational split within the TMC continue to deepen. The rebel faction, led by former TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee, has claimed the support of 19 Lok Sabha MPs and 64 MLAs. On August 18, the group submitted a list of 19 MPs to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking separate seating arrangements in Parliament.The MPs named by the faction include Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia and Partha Bhowmick.The turmoil has intensified following the resignations of Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik. The developments come at a time when the Mamata Banerjee-led party is facing one of its most challenging phases after 15 years in power in West Bengal, grappling with a major electoral setback and growing dissent within both its parliamentary and legislative ranks.
