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TMC Crisis: Trouble mounts for Mamata Banerjee as count of rebel TMC MPs rises, Kapil Sibal slams MPs for merging with NPCI

Written By: Victor Dasgupta Updated by: Victor Dasgupta
Updated Date:June 15, 2026 3:06 PM IST

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is a single, indivisible political party.

New Delhi: Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday came in support of Mamata Banerjee and slammed the rebel Trinamool Congress MPs for announcing a merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party (NCPI) in Tripura. Sibal called the merger as the "theatre of the absurd." In a post on X, Sibal said that the rebel MPs can merge with another political party "only if the TMC wished to do so." He further stated that the party should "disqualify them".

"TMC rebels: Will merge with Nationalist Citizens Party (NCP) Indian Democracy has become the "theatre of the absurd" A joke ! The rebels of the TMC legislative party cannot merge with a political party; that can happen only if the TMC wished to do so ! Disqualify them!" he wrote.

Abhishek Banerjee writes to LS speaker against recognition to rebel group in parliament

TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee said in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) is a single, indivisible political party. This comes after the rebel faction of the party, composed of at least 19 MPs, met the Speaker demanding a recognition for the rival bloc.

In the letter, Banerjee hit out at the rebel camp's move to be recognised as a separate faction and said "no recognition of the nature" should be accorded. " My attention has been drawn to news reports to the effect that certain members of the Lok Sabha belonging to the AITC have submitted, or propose to submit, a communication to your good office seeking to be recognised as a separate group or faction of the AITC, independent of the legislative party," the letter read.

Kakoli Dastidar's son sues Mamata Banerjee

Trinamool Congress MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar's son, psychiatrist Dr Baidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, has initiated legal action against several senior party leaders, issuing a legal notice to former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee.

TMC Crisis Live Updates:

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Jun 15, 2026 12:19 PM IST

TMC Crisis Live: TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee leaves for the Enforcement Directorate (ED) office in Salt Lake.

Jun 15, 2026 10:47 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: Visuals of the Nationalist Citizens Party office in Howrah

Jun 15, 2026 10:06 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: In a meeting with Birla on Sunday evening, 19 TMC lawmakers handed over a letter expressing their wish to join the NCPI. Rachana Banerjee, a first-time MP currently in Malaysia, gave her consent in the letter, making it a 20 lawmakers group.

Jun 15, 2026 8:37 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: Lok Sabha MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay said the rebel faction would fight in court to be recognised as the real TMC and will stake claim to its poll symbol.

Jun 15, 2026 8:22 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: Before meeting the Lok Sabha Speaker, members of the dissident camp gathered at the residence of Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi. Among those present were Satabdi Roy, Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Bapi Halder and Prasun Banerjee. BJP MP Nishikant Dubey was also seen at Yadav’s residence.

Jun 15, 2026 7:46 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: Ritabrata Banerjee on Sunday told The Indian Express that with the Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) anti-Abhishek Banerjee faction securing the support of over two-thirds of MLAs in West Bengal and Lok Sabha MPs, the rebels will slowly move towards taking over the rest of the party.

Jun 15, 2026 7:08 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: "We, the twenty MPs elected from the AITC, met the Speaker and submitted a letter requesting to sit separately; these twenty MPs constitute more than two-thirds of our total strength. We are merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party. Moving forward, we will work for the nation and collaborate with the NDA under the leadership of the Prime Minister," said rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.

Jun 15, 2026 7:04 AM IST

TMC Crisis Live: Twenty rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs in Lok Sabha are set to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and would extend their support to the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), said TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Sunday.

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