Mamata Banerjee is running out of time. Almost two-thirds of the Trinamool Congress’s 28 Lok Sabha MPs have come together to form a separate bloc and support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). 

“We need 19 to form a separate bloc. We have those many signatures, but there is some confusion over the stand of one of them. It should be sorted out soon,” one of the rebel MPs told Newslaundry on Friday morning, requesting anonymity. 

They are supposed to submit a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, stating that they want to work as a separate bloc and support the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). The rebellion is being led by four-time MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Shatabdi Roy. 

This comes close on the heels of 60 of her party’s 80 MLAs forming a separate bloc in the West Bengal assembly. Besides, four Rajya Sabha MPs resigned in quick succession – Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik and Koel Mallick. No doubt, the 71-year-old Banerjee is facing the worst crisis of her political career spanning five decades. 

It could not have been more embarrassing. After the formation of a separate bloc in the assembly and the parliamentary team showed hints of a split, Banerjee dissolved all committees of the party on June 3, only to make fresh appointments a few days later. 

She named Mala Roy and Saayoni Ghosh, MPs from Kolkata South and Jadavpur, respectively, as the head of the party’s women’s wing and youth wing. Within five days, both have reportedly joined the rebel camp. These two constituencies broadly cover the TMC’s traditional south Kolkata bastion. 

Neither Roy nor Ghosh could be reached over the phone. Both were in Delhi on Wednesday night and reportedly met West Bengal’s new BJP chief minister Suvendu Adhikari at Union minister Bhupendra Yadav’s residence.  

So, what triggered the collapse like a house of cards? 

According to several politicians Newslaundry spoke to, there were a few triggers that opened the lid on pent up grievances over the way the party has been run and, especially, the party chief responded after the defeat. The spree of arrests of TMC leaders, from former ministers to corporators, only pushed them to decide quickly. 

TMC leaders are speaking of six triggers that led to the rebellion. 

First, on May 6, two days after the results, during the first meeting of the MLAs at Banerjee’s south Kolkata residence, she asked all MLAs to stand up in respect to the fight that the 38-year-old Abhishek had put up. This irked several MLAs. 

Second, on May 14, Banerjee replaced Ghosh........

© newslaundry