What will Mamata Banerjee do after TMC split: Is Mamata Banerjee’s politics in danger after the rebellion in TMC? Can 20 MPs really leave the party? What options are left for Mamata Didi now? Is the increasing closeness to Congress a big sign? Can TMC merge with Congress?
Mamata Banerjee Next Plan: The politics of West Bengal is at a very interesting juncture these days. There has been such a storm in Trinamool Congress (TMC), which even Mamata Banerjee might never have imagined. ‘Didi’, who till yesterday was considered the biggest face of the opposition from Delhi to Kolkata, today her own party seems to be falling apart like a house of cards. The situation is such that Mamata Banerjee now has the support of only 22 MLAs in the Assembly and only 8 MPs in the Lok Sabha. There is all-round pressure on his close ones and party leaders. According to political experts, amidst this terrible crisis, Didi now has only 3 ways to move forward. Let us understand what is this ‘power game’ of Bengal politics and what steps can Mamata Banerjee take now…
How did the political rebellion in Bengal start and where is the problem?
This whole story started with a meeting held at Mamata Banerjee’s house on 6th May. Mamata chose Shobhandev Bhattacharya as the leader of the opposition, but some party MLAs did not like this decision. MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha became the faces of this resentment. The matter escalated so much that Ritabrata Banerjee met BJP leaders in Delhi and within no time handed over the letters of support of 58 out of 80 TMC MLAs to the Assembly Speaker. The rebel group directly alleges that the real reason for the defeat in the elections is Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee and I-PAC, the company that handles his election strategy.
Now 20 MPs also claim to be rebels
After the MLAs, now there are reports of MPs also becoming rebels. After a secret meeting held at the house of BJP leaders in Delhi, it is being claimed that 20 out of 28 TMC Lok Sabha MPs have rebelled. MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is leading this rebel group and has also demanded to sit separately in Parliament.
Which 3 ways are left for Mamata Banerjee?
1. Building a new party from the ground up
Political experts believe that in this difficult time when roads seem to be closed from all sides, Mamata Banerjee has three options. The first of which is to get down to ground and build the party afresh. Political pundits say that Mamata Banerjee has always been known as a ‘fighter’ leader. In 1998, he separated from the Congress and single-handedly formed the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and in 2011, he overthrew the 34-year-old Left government. Even before, big leaders like Subrata Mukherjee and Pankaj Banerjee had left her, but Mamata returned on the basis of her personal image. Mamata’s voters trust her face more than her organization. She can once again come down to the ground, strengthen her cadre and start the fight afresh.
2. Convincing rebel MPs and fighting legal battle
The second way is that Mamata Banerjee does damage control and convinces the angry MPs. Their leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad are continuously holding press conferences and calling the claims of the rebels false. The party says that the letters of support from 20 MPs have not yet surfaced. Mamata can take this matter to the Lok Sabha Speaker and try to stop the rebellion through legal maneuvers.
3. Delhi’s stance and merger of the party with Congress
The third and last way is to focus on national politics. Immediately after the elections, Mamata Banerjee reached Delhi and met Sonia Gandhi for two consecutive days. He has also expressed his desire to lead the opposition alliance (INDIA Bloc). There is intense discussion in political circles whether Mamata will merge her remaining party with Congress? However, there is little hope for this, because people like Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Choudhary are against this idea. Even Mamata herself would not want her years of hard work to end in one fell swoop.