A day after the Assembly formally recognised the 58 rebel Trinamool Congress MLAs as the “official” faction, BJP leader Priyanka Tibrewal on Thursday led a protest outside the residence of Entally MLA Sandipan Saha, one of the principal architects of the Trinamool mutiny.

The demonstration, held in front of Sandipan’s residence, is a BJP leader’s first major public attack on a leader of the newly recognised Trinamool rebel camp.

Tibrewal had unsuccessfully fought the Assembly election against Sandipan from Entally.

The protest took an ugly turn when Sandipan’s father, former Trinamool MLA Swarnakamal Saha, became involved in a heated exchange with Tibrewal.

Leading a large contingent of BJP workers and supporters armed with placards and banners, Tibrewal accused the influential father-son duo of running a longstanding network of corruption, extortion and syndicate operations in the Entally area.

“There is no escape anymore. Sandipan Saha and his father must answer to the people of Entally. After years of theft, robbery and injustice, the public is now demanding accountability,” Tibrewal said.

The BJP alleged that resentment against the Sahas had been simmering for years. According to the BJP, many residents complained of being forced to pay the Sahas substantial sums of money to be allowed to build houses and apartment buildings or sell and buy land.

As BJP supporters raised slogans branding the Sahas as “thieves” outside their residence, Swarnakamal lost his cool.

“She (Tibrewal) had hoped to become a minister if she won the election. Since she lost, she is now indulging in these antics out of frustration,” Swarnakamal remarked, rubbishing the allegations against him and his son.

The BJP’s top leadership refrained from commenting on Tibrewal’s demonstration. Political observers viewed the silence as noteworthy, particularly amid speculation about a possible tacit understanding between sections of the BJP and the rebel Trinamool faction led by Ritabrata Banerjee, of which Sandipan is a prominent member.

Mahua shreds rebels

As the crisis in Trinamool deepens, Krishnanagar MP Mahua Moitra has emerged as one of chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s most vocal defenders, mounting a vigorous campaign against the rebels and reaffirming her unwavering loyalty to the 71-year-old party supremo.

Moitra asserted that she stood by Mamata in the past, stands by her now and will continue to do so in the future.

Directly branding the rebel faction as “Bijemool” — a term intended to suggest an alliance with the BJP — Mahua accused the 58 rebel MLAs of betraying the mandate of the people of Bengal.

“The BJP secured 2.9 crore votes, while Mamata Banerjee’s party received 2.6 crore votes. The margin is only around 30 lakh votes. The 80 Assembly seats won by Trinamool were won entirely on the strength of Mamata Banerjee’s face and leadership. The individual candidates did not possess such personal appeal. Therefore, dismantling the party in this manner amounts to a direct betrayal of the people’s mandate,” Moitra said.

Questioning the moral basis of the rebellion, Mahua asked why leaders who intended to leave Trinamool did not contest the election independently.

“If they wanted to leave, they could have fought under the ‘Bijemool’ banner and won on their own strength. Why did they need Mamata Banerjee’s image and leadership during the campaign?” she asked, alleging personal ambition and greed were the primary motivations behind the split.

Rajya Sabha member Babul Supriyo reaffirmed his loyalty to Mamata through a social media post on Wednesday night, but also said she should have cracked down on corruption.