Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee becomes Bengal LoP, urges Mamata to be chief adviser
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "Expelled TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee becomes Bengal LoP, urges Mamata to be chief adviser")
Ritabrata Banerjee said the rebel MLAs were not challenging the leadership of Mamata Banerjee and would work under her. Photograph: (Screengrab from video on X)
Last week, TMC general secretary Abhishek Banerjee had written to the Speaker proposing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP and Firhad Hakim as the chief whip, but it was not accepted after Ritabrata and Sandipan alleged that signatures of several MLAs endorsing Sobhandeb were forged.
Trinamool MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, expelled for anti-party activities recently, said on Wednesday that he has been recognised by the Bengal Assembly Speaker as the Leader of the Opposition after 60 MLAs submitted letters of support endorsing him. However, Ritabrata maintained that Mamata Banerjee was their leader and said he does not intend to split the party. The former Left leader, who joined the TMC in 2018, was handed over the keys to the chamber of the leader of the opposition.
Earlier in the day, the 58 rebel MLAs submitted their letter of support to Speaker Rathindranath Bose, comfortably crossing the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law to avoid disqualification. The rebel camp named Banerjee as legislature party leader, Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders in House and Akhruzzaman as chief whip.
They also said that their faction should be recognised as the TMC’s “real” legislative wing.
In their communication to the Speaker, the rebel MLAs continued to recognise Mamata Banerjee as the party’s chairperson.
“We are real and main opposition in West Bengal assembly according to parliamentary norms,” Ritabrata said while addressing a press conference.
“Javed Khan, Sandeepan Saha, Sabina Yasmin, Shiuli Saha to be deputy leaders of TMC legislature party,” he added.
Ritabrata made it clear that the rebel MLAs were not challenging the leadership of Mamata and would work under the TMC flag.
“Will request Mamata Banerjee to keep advising us as always while staying at the helm of affairs,” added Ritabrata, who won from Uluberia Purba.
However, he took a swipe at Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee, calling his move a “collective fight against individualism”.
Ritabrata said the rebel group consisted of 58 legislators elected on the party symbol and claimed that two more MLAs were likely to join them.
Also Read: Iran’s central bank says inflation at World War II levels; eco pain deepening for Iranians
Last week, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee, who is also the party’s general secretary, had written to the Speaker proposing Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the LoP and Firhad Hakim as the chief whip.
However, the Speaker did not accept the proposal after Ritabrata and Sandipan alleged that signatures of several TMC MLAs endorsing Sobhandeb were forged. A CID probe has been ordered into the alleged scandal and the agency has summoned Abhishek for questioning.
Trending Stories
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
On Monday, the Trinamool expelled Ritabrata and Sandipan. The party did not explicitly mention the reason, but it came amid speculations of some MLAs trying to engineer a split.
The developments earlier in the day prompted the Trinamool Congress party to dissolve all its organisational committees and frontal organisations across West Bengal with “immediate effect,” saying it needed to introspect and review the party structure.
.
