Kapil Sibal has slammed rebel TMC MPs’ move to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party, calling it ‘absurd’ and urging their disqualification. Meanwhile, 20 rebel MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar confirmed the merger and their support for the NDA.
Kapil Sibal Slams Merger as ‘Theatre of the Absurd’
Senior advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal on Sunday slammed the rebel Trinamool Congress MPs for announcing a merger with Nationalist Citizens Party (NCPI) in Tripura, calling it “theatre of the absurd.”
In a post on X, Sibal said that the rebel MPs can merge with another political party “only if the TMC wished to do so.” He further stated that the party should “disqualify them”. “TMC rebels: Will merge with Nationalist Citizens Party (NCP) Indian Democracy has become the “theatre of the absurd” A joke ! The rebels of the TMC legislative party cannot merge with a political party; that can happen only if the TMC wished to do so ! Disqualify them!” he wrote. TMC rebels : Will merge with Nationalist Citizens Party (NCP) Indian Democracy has become the “theatre of the absurd” A joke ! The rebels of the TMC legislative party cannot merge with a political party ; that can happen only if the TMC wished to do so ! Disqualify them ! — Kapil Sibal (@KapilSibal) June 14, 2026
Rebel MPs Announce Merger, Support to NDA
This comes as rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said that the 20 MPs will be merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, while extending support to the NDA.
Speaking with ANI after meeting with Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla, Dastidar said that the rebel MPs submitted a letter requesting a separate sitting in the Parliament. She said that the MPs will “collaborate” with NDA under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership. “We, the twenty MPs elected from the AITC, met the Speaker and submitted a letter requesting to sit separately; these twenty MPs constitute more than two-thirds of our total strength. We are merging with the Nationalist Citizens Party. Moving forward, we will work for the nation and collaborate with the NDA under the leadership of the Prime Minister,” she said.
‘Real TMC’ to be Decided in Court: Sudip Bandyopadhyay
TMC rebel MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay seconded Ghosh’s remarks and affirmed that the “real TMC” will be decided in the court. “We have joined the Nationalist Citizens’ Party. This is a political party. It is a recognised regional party. We have merged with it. It will be decided in the court which one the real TMC is,” he said.
He said that the Lok Sabha speaker verified their signatures for the demand of a separate sitting and said that the MPs constitute two-thirds of the majority. He affirmed that in July, the rebel MPs will demand to claim the name of the party, Trinamool Congress. “Om Birla verified all the signatures. There were 20 signatures. It is 2/3rd now. This is the system. When you leave with 2/3rd of the party, you cannot demand the name of that party on the first day itself. In July, we will make a demand to give us Trinamool since we have 2/3rd majority from Trinamool. Then the court will decide,” he said.
Earlier in the day, Rebel TMC MPs Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Satabdi Roy, Arup Chakraborty, and Kakoli Ghosh also met with Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav in the national capital.
TMC Leadership in Huddle Amidst Deepening Crisis
Similarly, consultations also took place in Kolkata with TMC leaders Kunal Ghosh, Gautam Deb and Chandrima Bhattacharya reaching the residence of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee.
This comes amidst the ongoing political crisis within the Trinamool Congress, where 58 MLAs under the leadership of expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee in West Bengal, and 20 MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar in the Lok Sabha have rebelled against the party. Three Rajya Sabha MPs, including Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Baraik, have also resigned from their upper house and party membership. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)