Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], June 13 . Senior TMC MP Kalyan Banerjee has ruled out reports that the minority grouping within the TMC could merge with the Congress. Reports of a possible merger emerged after Mamata Banerjee met with Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi last week while Abhsishek Banerjee had a long meeting with Rahul Gandhi. With a significant number of TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha expected to desert Mamata Banerjee the possibility of such a move was being spoken off.
Kalyan Banerjee however has denied all such reports, "We are not merging with the Congress."
The senior TMC leader also spoke on dissident MPs prepared to approach Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
"Let them do what they want. They will have to live under the shelter of the BJP. All this is a ploy. They cite the reason as development of their constituencies, but those who cannot even visit their constituencies, so what work will they do. When democracy has finished in West Bengal. What development has been done in the last one month, even after talks with the CM? BJP is harassing us, the police are harassing us. No Opposition in West Bengal has ever faced such a thing as what we are facing. The 19 MPs who are going to BJP, will not be accepted by the BJP," he said
Earlier, TMC MP Kirti Azad also rejected any reports of a potential merger between the TMC and the Congress, terming them "incorrect," reiterating that the party will contest the upcoming elections as part of a planned alliance.
Speaking to ANI in the national capital, Azad said, "There will be no merger; that is all incorrect news. The election will be contested as an alliance, and the alliance will remain intact."
On June 11, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) KC Venugopal had also dismissed speculation regarding a potential merger between the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and the Congress, terming such claims as "baseless rumours."
Speaking at a press conference, Venugopal clarified that recent high-level meetings, including talks between West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Congress Parliamentary Party Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, and separate discussions between TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee and Rahul Gandhi, were strictly routine. He emphasised that the primary focus of these interactions remains a unified front to "strengthen the fight against this anti-democratic government."
"These are totally rumours. Yesterday, our communication secretary already stated that these are baseless things. Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee held routine discussions when they met Madam (Sonia Gandhi) and Rahul Gandhi. That's an extension of the India Alliance discussion, because everybody wants to strengthen India Alliance. Everybody wants to strengthen the fight against this anti-democratic government. We will go together in that way, that is only the discussion point, nothing else," he said.
For now, Mamata Banerjee is keeping her cards close to her chest and a further decision on her next move could come on Monday when the rebel TMC MPs in the Lok Sabha meet the speaker to submit their dissent.