Is Mamata Banerjee's TMC breaking apart? BJP leader claims 50 TMC MLAs are willing to...
BJP leader Saumitra Khan has claimed that 50 out of 80 MLAs of the Trinamool Congress are ready to switch parties. He said that if the MLAs become a part of the saffron party, TMC will cease to exist as a political party.
BJP leader Saumitra Khan has stated that TMC will cease to exist as a political party if the MLAs become a part of the saffron party. ANI
Following the results of West Bengal Assembly elections, Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress is in a tight spot. Now, the situation may get more difficult for TMC after senior BJP MP Saumitra Khan has claimed that more than 50 MLAs and 20 MPs are ready to defect to BJP if the party's central leadership gave a go-ahead.
Khan further said that the TMC will cease to exist as a political party altogether if the senior leadership decides to induct these MLAs and MPs into the saffron party. "If the BJP central leadership says it once, TMC will not remain a party anymore. Everyone is ready to come. Around 50 MLAs are unhappy with the party and 20 MPs are ready to join," he said.
Launching a sharp attack on Abhishek Banerjee, the BJP leader described him as a "sinner" who belongs in jail. "There is a bulldozer parked outside his house now. In 2021, he got the houses of BJP workers demolished. Such people should face the consequences of their actions immediately," Khan remarked.
How did TMC respond?
Rejecting Khan's claims, senior TMC MP Sougata Roy termed the reports as "baseless". Roy further said, "It is absolutely bogus what the BJP and Saumitra Khan are feeding to reporters. Nothing of this sort will happen."
The TMC currently has 29 MPs in the Lok Sabha out of 42 from West Bengal, whereas the BJP has 12 and the Congress has one.
What is the anti-defection law?
Under the anti-defection law, at least two-thirds of the members of a parliamentary party need to switch sides together to avoid disqualification. In the TMC's case, with 29 MPs in the Lok Sabha, the number works out to around 19 or 20.
Ahead of the 2021 assembly elections, several prominent TMC leaders had switched to the BJP, only to return after the Mamata Banerjee-led party retained power. But the equations this time are different, with the BJP now in power in Bengal after ending the TMC's 15-year rule.
The speculation also comes at a time when signs of unease within the TMC have become increasingly visible, with several legislators, MPs and leaders publicly expressing discontent in recent weeks.
With inputs from PTI
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