Amid growing differences within the Trinamool Congress (TMC), the party’s national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, has written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla requesting that the TMC be recognised as a single political party in both Houses of Parliament.
In his letter, Banerjee stated that only the party’s officially authorised leaders and Chief Whip should represent the TMC in Parliament. He also urged the Speaker not to recognise any separate group or faction claiming to represent the party.
The development came shortly after two TMC MPs met Om Birla and submitted a similar request. They asked the Speaker not to give recognition to any faction within the party, describing such a move as illegal.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting, TMC MP Kirti Azad referred to a Supreme Court ruling which stated that political parties cannot be split under the provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. He expressed confidence that the Speaker would act according to the rules.
Meanwhile, the internal crisis within the TMC appears to have deepened. Senior leader Sudip Bandopadhyay, who has long been considered a close associate of Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, has reportedly joined the rebel faction.
His wife, Nayana Bandopadhyay, has also been known as a loyal supporter of Mamata Banerjee, but her stand on the ongoing dispute has not yet been made clear.