New Delhi [India], June 15 : TMC rebel MP Arup Chakraborty on Monday questioned the leadership and functioning of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) following the merger of 20 rebel MPs with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and their support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), asserting that political parties should be run collectively and not by a single individual or family.
Defending the decision of the rebel MPs, Chakraborty said, "Was it Didi standing for election, or was it us? Whom did the public vote for? Mamata Banerjee wasn't standing in the elections everywhere. There is no such thing as 'our party'... A party doesn't belong to just one person or household. It belongs to everyone. Why didn't everyone run the party together? Who else is answerable for this? Why are they afraid to call a party meeting?"
Chakraborty further stressed the need for transparency in politics, saying, "The public is not under anyone's thumb, and politics must be conducted openly and directly; it cannot be done covertly..."
He further alleged that West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee was unable to function independently due to pressure from within her family and claimed that the party's decline began after responsibility was handed over to Abhishek Banerjee.
Chakraborty said, "Mamata Banerjee was not allowed to work happily. She was under family pressure. She was attacked. She suffered injuries... These stories from her house used to spread in the villages..."
The rebel MP further claimed that the incidents had become a subject of political discussion, "Didn't the Opposition leader use to taunt her, saying, 'Did you fall, Didi? Did you get injured?' A lot happened. But she was puzzled. She wanted to work neutrally. But they didn't let her. This used to happen in her house, in her family. She handed responsibility to Abhishek Banerjee, that's why the party was ruined."
The political turmoil within the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) escalated sharply on Sunday as a significant faction of the party announced a rebellion. Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar confirmed that 20 Lok Sabha MPs have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and will now extend their support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Following a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, Ghosh Dastidar stated that the group, which she claims constitutes more than two-thirds of the party's strength, has requested a separate sitting in Parliament.