Kolkata

Signs of a widening rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) emerged on Wednesday, with several legislators reportedly distancing themselves from key organisational meetings and openly questioning decisions taken by the party leadership. The unrest comes days after the party expelled two MLAs amid escalating internal tensions.

Members associated with the dissident camp claimed that a majority of the party's 80 MLAs were unhappy with the appointment of Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly.

TMC MLA Mustafizur Rahman told reporters that he had heard that as many as 59 legislators had signed a representation related to the issue. "I have also signed," he said, while adding that he was not aware of the exact number of supporters.

Another legislator, Priya Paul, refrained from commenting before attending a meeting, saying she would speak later.

The developments follow the expulsion of MLAs Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee from the party's primary membership on Monday over alleged anti-party activities.

Amid the turmoil, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari launched a sharp attack on the TMC leadership, particularly over allegations of forged signatures linked to the appointment of the opposition leadership in the Assembly.

Addressing a press conference, Adhikari said legal action would proceed under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and asserted that anyone found involved in forging signatures would face consequences.

He outlined a sequence of events beginning with a May 9 letter from the party's national general secretary recommending Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of Opposition, along with other appointments within the legislative wing. According to him, a subsequent communication dated May 20 carried signatures of 70 MLAs.

The controversy intensified after Sandipan Saha and Ritabrata Banerjee reportedly complained that no formal legislative party resolution had authorised the appointments. Following their complaint, an FIR was lodged at Hare Street Police Station and the matter was later handed over to the CID for investigation.

Adhikari claimed that the CID had started collecting specimen signatures from legislators whose names appeared on the disputed document. He further alleged that three TMC MLAs — Baharul Islam, Arup Roy and Subhashish Das — had informed investigators that they had not signed the letter in question.

The chief minister said the investigation would continue according to legal procedures and that the authorities would determine the next course of action.

Referring to recent political tensions and reports of recoveries from some TMC offices, Adhikari urged party workers and citizens to remain calm and avoid taking the law into their own hands. He appealed to people to register complaints through proper channels and allow investigating agencies to carry out their work.

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The latest developments have intensified speculation about a deeper split within the TMC, which is facing increasing internal dissent alongside political and administrative challenges in the state.