Trinamool on Monday expelled Uluberia Purba MLA Ritabrata Banerjee and Entally MLA Sandipan Saha amid suggestions that they had held a series of meetings with 50-odd party legislators at a hotel off EM Bypass, raising suspicions of a rebellion.
“The party expelled the duo citing how they had written to Speaker Rathindra Bose without informing the leadership,” a Trinamool insider said.
“But the real story could be much bigger. They are in touch with a number of party MLAs, and are trying to break the party.”
Ritabrata and Sandipan had written to the Speaker saying 14 of the signatures on a Trinamool letter seeking the leader of the Opposition’s post for Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay had been forged, chief minister Suvendu Adhikari confirmed on Monday.
If two-thirds or more of Trinamool’s 80 MLAs — that is, at least 53 MLAs — agree to break away, they can form a separate group and stake claim to the post of leader of the Opposition.
Monday’s expulsions come a day after a scheduled meeting of the Trinamool legislature party at Mamata Banerjee’s residence had to be postponed because 60 of the 80 MLAs failed to turn up.
“With the majority of the MLAs distancing themselves from the party, there is every possibility that the duo can manage a separate group within the party. I heard they are in touch with as many as 52 party MLAs,” a Trinamool insider said.
If Trinamool is hit by an MLAs’ rebellion, it will inevitably draw comparisons with the “Shinde Model” of Maharashtra, although Shiv Sena MLA Eknath Shinde’s 2022 rebellion had toppled Uddhav Thackeray’s coalition government rather than break an Opposition party.
Shinde had broken away from the Sena with most of its MLAs and become chief minister with BJP support, amid allegations that the BJP had engineered the defections.
Suvendu commented on the signature controversy — into which his government has ordered a CID investigation — on Monday.
“Two TMC MLAs — Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha — wrote a letter to the Speaker alleging the signatures of 14 MLAs in the resolution that proposed Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the leader of the Opposition were forged,” he said at Nabanna.
“On behalf of the Speaker, the principal secretary of the Assembly lodged an FIR at Hare Street police station. The home secretary proposed a CID inquiry as the MLAs were from various districts of the state and I, as the home minister, approved the proposal.”
He added: “This is not a vendetta by the BJP; the inquiry was ordered after two TMC MLAs lodged the complaint.”
The CID has summoned Abhishek Banerjee, Mamata’s nephew and Trinamool national general secretary.
Soon after Suvendu’s news conference, Trinamool expelled Ritabrata and Sandipan alleging anti-party activities.
“I haven’t done anything wrong. I shall do everything necessary to bring the truth out about the various wrongdoings of the TMC regime,” Ritabrata, once a CPM Rajya Sabha member backed by then chief minister Buddhadeb Bhattacharjee, said.
“I used to fear for my life, so I could not say these things while Trinamool was in power. Now, there will be no stopping me.”
Trinamool had on May 9 submitted a letter to the Speaker from Abhishek saying party MLAs had taken a resolution on May 6 backing Sobhandeb for the post of leader of the Opposition.
The Assembly secretariat wrote back to Abhishek saying the Speaker wanted him to submit the minutes or the resolution of the party MLAs’ meeting, along with the signatures of the attending legislators.
On May 20, Abhishek sent a reply enclosing a copy of the meeting resolution book along with the signatures of 70 MLAs who were at the May 6 meeting. Government sources said 14 of the signatures were in block letters.
Ritabrata and Sandipan complained to the Speaker saying no resolution had been adopted on May 6 relating to the appointment of the leader of the Opposition, and that they had had to sign a fabricated resolution on May 19.
“The CID went to speak to 13 of the 14 MLAs whose signatures were in block letters. Three of these MLAs admitted on camera that they had not signed the resolution,” Suvendu said.
“The party that looted people when they were in power has cheated its own MLAs.”
A CID report said Abhishek had been asked to appear before the investigating officer on June 1 and furnish the original resolution book.
“He has sent a letter to the IO through his advocate, seeking a fortnight’s time, citing ill-health due to the incident at Sonarpur,” the report said.
Suvendu said: “Whoever is responsible has to give answers. We will take all possible measures to unearththe forgery.”
With the budget session of the new Assembly scheduled to start on June 18, the drama over the next leader of the Opposition is expected to heat up.
Mamata went live on Facebook on Monday evening, alleging an organised attempt to weaken her party through intimidation, coercion and the misuse of the administrative machinery.
“Some representatives have informed me that they are being warned against attending party meetings and are being pressured to sever ties with Trinamool,” she said.
“Democracy cannot function if political choices are dictated through intimidation rather than public mandate.”
Mamata said Saturday’s Sonarpur “attack” on Abhishek was not a one-off but part of a broader pattern of intimidation targeting her party.
She said Trinamool was being prevented from holding rallies and other public programmes, and that permission had not yet arrived for her dharna on Rani Rashmoni Avenue on Tuesday.
Mamata said her party was built not around a few leaders but on the strength ofits workers.
“I want to state clearly that removing them (Sandipan and Ritabrata) was the correct decision.... Those who place personal interests above the organisation have no place in a movement built on sacrifice and commitment,” she said.
“The controversy surrounding the signatures on the resolution submitted to the Speaker, the subsequent complaints, the FIR, and the CID investigation will take their legal course.”
She said if democratic protests were not allowed in Bengal, she was prepared to raise the matter at the national level with the INDIA bloc.
“If the objective is to force me out of politics, let me be clear — I will not back down.... I am a commoner, I am a free bird now, I will not leave politics,” she said.
“The BJP has snatched everything from me, but I will never bow before intimidation or the misuse of power.”