Kolkata

Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra on Friday launched a fresh attack on the party's rebel lawmakers, asserting that they were misreading the Constitution and had no legal basis to seek recognition as a separate bloc in Parliament.

In a post shared on X, Moitra said that the 91st Constitutional Amendment 2003 removed the provision for a separate bloc, and all 19 rebel MPs must resign and contest on a BJP ticket.

"Traitor TMC lawmakers don't know law. Constitution 91st Amendment 2003 removed the provision for split/ separate bloc. Number of MPs is irrelevant- 2/3 of original political party has to MERGE with another party. All 19 traitors need to resign & contest on BJP ticket," Moitra wrote.

Her remarks come amid an intensifying political battle within the TMC following the decision of 19 rebel MPs to seek separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha, a move that has fuelled speculation of a split in the party and a possible alignment with the BJP-led NDA.

Moitra reiterated her legal argument days after first raising the issue, claiming that even if the rebel camp were to secure the support of two-thirds of TMC MPs, it would still not be entitled to function as a separate parliamentary group.

"Even if traitors get 19 MPs (2/3) which they have not - only option is to merge with BJP along with 2/3 of political party. Bhupinder Yadav & @loksabhaspeaker cannot create separate political party or faction," she said in an earlier post.

Citing a recent Supreme Court ruling, the Krishnanagar MP added, "5 judge bench in Subhash Desai vs. Principal Secretary, Governor of Maharashtra (2023), settled this."

The latest remarks from Moitra comes as signs of an organisational split within the TMC continue to emerge.

In a latest development, Trinamool Congress posters were recently removed from the party's Delhi office at 20, Rajendra Prasad Road, the residence of Barrackpore MP Partha Bhowmick, who is among the rebel lawmakers. The posters were subsequently shifted to the South Avenue residence of Rajya Sabha MP Nadimul Haque.

The rebel faction, led by former TMC leader Ritabrata Banerjee, has claimed support from 19 Lok Sabha MPs and 64 MLAs. On May 18, the group submitted the names of 19 MPs to the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking separate seating arrangements in Parliament.

The list includes Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia and Partha Bhowmick.

The turmoil has deepened following the resignations of Rajya Sabha MPs Sushmita Dev, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Prakash Chik Baraik earlier this month.

Reports of meetings between rebel TMC MPs and senior BJP leaders, including Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, have further intensified speculation over a possible political realignment. However, no formal merger has been announced so far.

Any such move would require compliance with the anti-defection law under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, which mandates a two-thirds majority for recognition of a split.

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The developments come against the backdrop of growing tensions within the Trinamool Congress after its disappointing performance in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections, with the party leadership and rebel lawmakers increasingly at odds over the future direction of the organisation.