"Shows growing dissent within TMC": BJP's Karuna Sagar on 20 MPs to support NDA

Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], June 15 : BJP leader and Telangana High Court advocate Karuna Sagar on Monday alleged that the decision of 20 Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs to break away from the Mamata Banerjee-led party and merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India while extending support to the NDA government, reflected growing dissent within the TMC.
Speaking on the political development, Sagar claimed that the move indicated a deepening crisis in the party and an erosion of confidence among its cadres and elected representatives in the leadership and functioning of the TMC.
"The decision of 20 TMC MPs splitting away from the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress party and merging themselves into the Nationalist Citizens Party of India while supporting the NDA government shows the growing dissent and the deepening crisis within the Trinamool Congress," he said.
He further alleged that the development pointed to dissatisfaction among party members and suggested that the TMC was losing the confidence of its own MPs.
Sagar, however, stressed that any split or merger must comply with constitutional and legal provisions governing defections. He said the constitutional validity of the reported development should be examined carefully to ensure adherence to anti-defection laws.
"The political parties may lose or gain, but the constitutional validity for the split and merger should be strictly adhered to to escape the defection laws," he said.
Calling for clarity on the issue, the BJP leader said the matter should be explained by the TMC leadership, adding that the people of West Bengal deserved a clear understanding of the political developments.
Earlier, Rebel Trinamool Congress MPs Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Sudip Bandyopadhyay, Satabdi Roy, and others on Sunday arrived at the residence of Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the national capital to demand a separate sitting arrangement in the House amid the ongoing rift within the party.
Before meeting the Speaker, the rebel MPs also met with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav.
Rebel TMC MPs Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy, Satabdi Roy, Arup Chakraborty, and Kakoli Ghosh met with Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in the national capital.
The 20 Lok Sabha MPs have created a separate bloc in the Lower House and claim to be "real TMC" and demand a separate seating arrangement for themselves. 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).