Do the rebel MPs have enough support to declare themselves the “real TMC”? Will Speaker Om Birla’s meeting prove to be the beginning of a historic break in TMC? Will the anti-defection law completely reverse the political strategy of the rebel leaders? Will Mamata Banerjee’s camp win the legal battle, or will a new power center emerge in Bengal politics?
New Delhi/Kolkata: There is an earthquake in the politics of West Bengal at this time. The spark of rebellion burning within the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) is now ready to turn into a big political blast in the country’s capital Delhi. The rebel MPs have reached Delhi, giving a direct challenge to the leadership of Mamata Banerjee. Before this meeting to be held in front of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday, suspense has deepened in the political circles. Is Mamata Banerjee’s stronghold about to collapse? Or are the rebel MPs going to get trapped in their own legal trap?
Secret meeting in Delhi: ‘Operation Lutyens’ and the mysterious figure of 22
As soon as the planes of the rebel MPs landed at Delhi airport on Sunday evening, the political temperature suddenly reached sky high. According to sources, before meeting Speaker Om Birla on Monday, the rebel group finalized its strategy at a secret hideout in Delhi. The main agenda of this meeting was to review the signatures of the MPs collected so far.
This suspense was fueled by a statement by rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, which has given sleepless nights to the Mamata camp. “We are all kings. I had earlier talked about 20 MPs, but now the number is going to be 22. Many more big faces are in regular touch with us,” Kakoli said, indicating from behind closed doors. Now the biggest suspense among political experts is whether senior TMC leader Sudip Bandyopadhyay is also backseat driving this rebellion?
Legal notice attack: family war on the political chessboard
This fight is not just limited to the chambers of Parliament, but has taken a very aggressive legal turn. Vaidyanath Ghosh Dastidar, son of rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, has sent a legal notice of defamation directly to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and four senior party leaders – Mahua Moitra, Kalyan Banerjee, Saugata Roy and Sonali Guha. In the notice, Vaidyanath has completely rejected the allegations that he had asked for a party ticket to contest the elections from Barasat assembly seat. He has openly challenged and demanded a public apology within 15 days. This notice has made it clear that the rebel group is no longer in the mood for compromise and is ready for an all-out fight.
Mamata camp’s ‘Brahmastra’: Will Sagarika Ghosh’s legal argument sway the rebels?
On one hand, while the rebel MPs are claiming numerical strength, on the other hand, Mamata Banerjee’s camp is keeping very quiet and sharpening the edge of its biggest weapon. TMC Rajya Sabha MPs Sagarika Ghosh and Kirti Azad have prepared a maze of ‘Anti-Defection Law’ against the rebel group.
The logic of Mamta camp is very simple and infallible. He says that under Para 4 of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, the membership of any MP or MLA can be saved only if his ‘parent political party’ merges with some other party. There is no constitutional provision left for separating from one’s own party and functioning as an independent ‘faction’ or ‘real party’ within the House. Kirti Azad has clearly warned that even if two-thirds of the MPs step aside, the party is not made up of only selected leaders; In case the organization is not merged, all the rebels will have to be disqualified.
What does the anti-defection law say?
The real suspense in this entire matter is regarding the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. Before 2003, under Para 3 of the Act, if one-third (1/3) of the MPs or MLAs of a party were separated, they were exempted from disqualification in the name of ‘split’. But this provision was abolished forever through the 91st Constitutional Amendment Act, 2003. The law now says that the only way to avoid disqualification is by ‘merge’, for which the consent of at least two-thirds (2/3) of the legislative members is mandatory. That is, rebel MPs cannot demand recognition of a separate faction by calling themselves ‘real TMC’; By law he will have to join some other party.
Monday’s great suspense: Bengal’s future rests on Om Birla’s table
On Monday, when the rebel MPs will enter the chamber of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, the eyes of the country will be on the Parliament House. Have the rebel MPs succeeded in finding the loopholes in this most stringent law of the country? Does he really have that magical figure of two-thirds that would push Mamata Banerjee on the back foot? This meeting on Monday will decide who will have the remote control of power in West Bengal.