Team rebel swells to 64, late-night raid at Abhishek Banerjee’s residence: TMC split worries mount

New Delhi (TIP): The Trinamool Congress is facing a big crisis, both in West Bengal and in
Parliament with leaders uniting to break away and form their own faction. Amid mounting
worries for former chief minister Mamata Banerjee, an expelled leader claimed that the
strength of rebel MLAs willing to split away has now grown to 64. Meanwhile, a police team
accompanied by central security forces arrived at TMC General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee's
residence in Kolkata late at night and conducted a four-hour raid on Saturday. The development
came amid rising dissent within the party against Mamata's nephew.

The developments have added to worries of a TMC split. Buzz grew stronger on Friday after a
letter with signatures from 19 rebel MPs emerged, with some claiming they forwarded it to the
Speaker. However, the Speaker’s office has not confirmed receipt of the letter yet.
The letter that surfaced on Friday was dated May 18, days after the TMC was dealt a crushing
blow in the Assembly elections and Mamata Banerjee's uninterrupted reign as chief minister
came to an end.
There were 19 signatures on the letter, but the serial numbers were 20, triggering speculation
that a multi-term MP could be the 20th to align with the rebel group.
There is no clarity on whether the faction wanting to split wants to merge with the BJP or not.
“So far, these MPs have only indicated that they want to be seen as a separate parliamentary
group,” a person familiar with the developments told HT. However, some leaders, like Kakoli
Ghosh Dastidar and suspended TMC leader Riju Dutta have said the rebels wish to support the
NDA.
"As far as I know, these MPs are likely to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, and a
major meeting is scheduled for Sunday, which, according to my information, the Chief Minister
of Bengal might also attend," Dutta told news agency ANI on Friday.
According to provision, if at least two-thirds of a party's legislators agree to merge with another
party, they are protected. This is where the number 19 holds importance, because it decides
whether the rebels can switch sides.
Just as the TMC is trying to cope with a possible split in the Lok Sabha, the rebellion is also
growing back in Bengal. According to expelled Trinamool leader Sandipan Saha, the number of
rebels has grown to 64 from 58 in a matter of days. “We did not think that so many MLAs would
join us…,” Saha told ANI.
As reported by HT earlier, 58 Trinamool legislators in Bengal had written to Mamata Banerjee,
asking her to be their chief adviser as they staked claim to become the principal opposition
party in the Bengal assembly.
The faction had raised strong reservations with Abhishek Banerjee's leadership, saying they
would have no interaction with Mamata's nephew. "We are the real TMC now in the assembly,”
said Ritabrata Banerjee, who is leading the rebel team of MLAs.
A large contingent of police personnel from Kolkata Police's Kalighat Police Station and Shalboni
Police Station, accompanied by central security forces, arrived at the residence of Trinamool
Congress MP Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday morning.
According to PTI, Banerjee's home was raided for four hours, starting 3am on Saturday. He later
alleged that police personnel had forcibly entered the residence after breaking open a lock and

searched the entire premises. "They broke the lock and searched the entire house," he told
reporters. Source: HT