Within a month and a half of the West Bengal election defeat, the Trinamool Congress has collapsed like a pack of cards. Twenty of the party’s MPs have defected from the Trinamool Congress. The rebel MPs have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). Previously, the rebel MPs met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submitted a letter demanding separate seating arrangements in Parliament.
The rebellion within Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress began just days after the election results were announced. More than 60 Trinamool MLAs rebelled first. Later, Lok Sabha MPs also rebelled. Three Rajya Sabha MPs have also resigned.
The rebel Trinamool Congress MPs have now announced their support for the NDA. However, the surprising decision was the merger with the NCPI. From the beginning, the rebel MPs had been calling themselves the “real TMC,” but after a meeting at the residence of BJP leader and Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Sunday and then with Om Birla, they announced their merger with the NCPI.
The rebel MPs have remained in contact with Bhupendra Yadav since the beginning. The first meeting the rebels held was also held at Bhupendra Yadav’s residence, where West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari was also present.
On Sunday, the rebel TMC MPs first met at Bhupendra Yadav’s residence. Sources said that during this meeting, one group of rebel MPs wanted to completely separate from the TMC. They wanted the rebel leaders to give up everything, including the party’s name, election symbol, and political identity. These included young MPs like Sayani Ghosh, June Malia, and Mitali Bag.
On the other hand, the other group of rebels wanted to maintain their claim to the TMC’s legacy. They argued that the rebel group should strive to gain recognition as the party’s true successor.
Sources say the issue was discussed in detail at the meeting on Bhupendra Yadav, as the MPs also considered their future political strategy.
The rebel MPs have decided to merge with a party that was hitherto unknown in political circles. The NCPI fielded two candidates in the 2023 Tripura Assembly elections, both of whom lost their deposits.
Political experts attribute the Trinamool Congress’s constitution to one reason for the NCPI’s merger decision. One political expert said that the State Executive Committee was previously the highest decision-making body within the party, but after the amendment, the National Executive Committee was given that status. According to the party’s constitution, the influence of organizational officials in the Trinamool Congress is considered greater than that of MPs and MLAs.
This committee is largely centered around Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee, making it difficult for the rebels to gain control of the party’s election symbol and party funds.
Meanwhile, CPM Rajya Sabha MP Bikash Ranjan Bhattacharya believes the BJP is behind this entire plan. He said that the multiple meetings of the rebel MPs at Bhupendra Yadav’s house indicate this.
He said the BJP’s primary objective is to garner the support of the rebel MPs to pass important bills in Parliament. Therefore, the party took no risks and, instead of attempting to capture the Trinamool Congress’s parliamentary party in the Lok Sabha, adopted a strategy to integrate the rebel MPs into a new party.
Until recently, very few people knew about the NCPI. But today, everyone is talking about it. The party’s president, Uttiya Kundu, comes from a humble family from Ranaghat in Nadia district. He completed an honors degree in mathematics and later earned a doctorate. Besides teaching private tuition, he was also deeply involved in studies and writing.
His father, Pranab Kundu, was a senior employee at the Ranaghat municipality. A few years after his father’s death, Uttiya Kundu left Ranaghat and now lives in Mauri village in Howrah district. He works at a law firm there, where he spends most of his time.
The NCPI’s sudden rise to prominence has drawn national attention. This comes after reports emerged that around 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs had merged with the party and pledged their support to the NDA.