TMC Meltdown: Rebel MP Shatabdi Roy Hints At A ‘Shocking 20th Name’ Set To Desert Mamata Banerjee

Kolkata: The rebellion inside Trinamool Congress is getting bigger by the day. Rebel MP Shatabdi Roy has now made a claim that strikes at the heart of what is left of Mamata Banerjee's party. She says the rebel camp has the magic number. Only six to seven MPs will remain with Mamata. Everyone else is walking out. After a crushing defeat in the Bengal assembly elections, Mamata is going through the worst phase of her political life. The cracks first showed in the assembly. Now the rebellion has spread to both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha. Nineteen MPs have already broken ranks. A twentieth name, described as a very big one, is expected to come out soon.

What Shatabdi Roy had said?

According to reports, Shatabdi Roy was direct and confident. She said 19 Lok Sabha MPs have signed a letter which has already been submitted to Speaker Om Birla. The letter states that the rebel leaders want to distance themselves from the party and extend support to the NDA. She said the signed letter is proof that the rebels mean business. She added that she does not know details about the next meeting but believes the letter has already reached the Speaker. The rebel MPs have also demanded a separate seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha. Roy said they want to sit as a separate group and that is their formal demand.

Who has signed?

A copy of the letter has been circulating widely in political circles and on social media. Among those who have signed are Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar from Barasat, Shatabdi Roy from Birbhum, Bapi Haldar from Mathurapur, Sharmila Sarkar from Bardhaman Purba, Jagdish Chandra Barma Basunia from Cooch Behar and Asit Mal from Bolpur. A rebel MP confirmed that the viral list is genuine and said more people could join soon.

Beyond the anti-defection threshold?

This is where it gets legally significant. TMC has 28 members in the Lok Sabha. It is the third largest opposition party after Congress and the Samajwadi Party. The rebel camp claims support of 19 MPs. That number crosses the two-thirds majority threshold required under anti-defection laws. If these numbers hold up, the rebels could be entitled to legal protection from disqualification. Sources close to the rebel group say they have informed the Lok Sabha Speaker about forming a separate parliamentary group under the leadership of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, while continuing to support the NDA independently.