‘If They Return to Mamata Banerjee, I’ll Resign in an Hour’: Abhishek Banerjee Challenges Rebel TMC MPs

Mumbai: Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee on Saturday issued a direct challenge to the party’s rebel MPs and MLAs, declaring that he would resign within an hour if they returned to Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and rejoined the Trinamool Congress.

Speaking on the issue of defections, Abhishek Banerjee said that if the rebel leaders believed he was the reason behind their decision to leave the party, they should return to Mamata Banerjee.

“If the problem is with me and that is why they rebelled, then they should come back to Mamata Banerjee. If I am the common target, they should return to the party, and I will resign within an hour,” he said.

Speaker Likely To Decide On Merger Pleas

Abhishek Banerjee’s remarks come as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is expected to take a decision on Saturday regarding the proposed merger of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena, according to ANI citing sources.

Sources said the Speaker has been consulting legal and parliamentary experts before taking a final call on the merger applications.

Rebel TMC MPs Announced Merger Last Month

Last month, rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar led a group of 20 Lok Sabha MPs and announced their decision to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

Meanwhile, Shiv Sena (UBT) has also witnessed a split, with six Lok Sabha MPs joining the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde.

DMK Seat Demand Also Under Consideration

According to sources, Speaker Om Birla may also decide on the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK)’s demand for a separate seat allotment from the Congress following the reported fallout between the two parties in the INDIA bloc.

The political developments come after the Congress aligned with Vijay-led Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) in Tamil Nadu following the elections.

NDA Strength Could Rise To 318 Seats

Earlier, seven Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MPs joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) currently has 292 seats in the Lok Sabha. If the Speaker approves the proposed mergers involving the rebel TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs, the NDA’s tally would increase to 318 seats.

The alliance would then move closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the 540-member Lok Sabha, where three seats are currently vacant.

Constitution Amendment Bill Back In Focus

The proposed mergers have also reignited speculation over the Centre reintroducing the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill.

The Bill proposes increasing the strength of the Lok Sabha to as many as 850 seats and implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, which seeks to provide 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state legislatures.

According to sources, the Centre is expected to reintroduce the Bill while addressing concerns surrounding delimitation by proposing a uniform 50 per cent increase in Lok Sabha seats across all states.

Sources further indicated that with the NDA potentially moving closer to a stronger majority and the DMK no longer remaining with the INDIA bloc, the Centre is looking to secure the passage of the Bill, which had earlier failed after receiving 298 votes in April.

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