New Delhi

Senior Trinamool Congress leaders Kalyan Banerjee and Kirti Azad on Tuesday mounted a strong defence of the party leadership, accusing dissident MPs of abandoning political principles, maintaining covert ties with the BJP, and deserting party workers during a period of political adversity.

Addressing a press conference in the national capital, the two leaders dismissed claims by the rebel camp that it enjoyed the backing of a majority of TMC Lok Sabha members and intended to seek recognition as a separate group in Parliament.

The remarks came a day after Lok Sabha MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, one of the prominent faces of the dissident faction, claimed that around 20 TMC MPs had decided to support the NDA and would communicate their decision to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.

Referring to former Rajya Sabha member Sukhendu Sekhar Roy, who recently resigned from both the Upper House and the party after publicly criticising its leadership, Kalyan Banerjee said those levelling allegations against the organisation should display similar political ethics.

"If they truly believe in what they are saying, they should resign from Parliament just as Sukhendu Sekhar Roy did. Political morality demands that," Banerjee said.

Questioning the credibility of the dissidents' claims, he alleged that the purported letter to the Speaker had not been made public.

"If they are honest and transparent, why not release the letter before the media? Why keep it hidden?" he asked, suggesting that the rebel camp lacked the courage to openly stand by its assertions.

Banerjee further alleged that the dissident MPs had effectively crossed over to the BJP, pointing to reports that some of them had met Union Minister Bhupender Yadav in New Delhi.

He noted that the meeting was attended by West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari and BJP leader Biplab Deb, which, according to him, exposed the rebels' political intentions.

While Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and other senior TMC leaders participated in the INDIA bloc meeting in Delhi, several rebel MPs were reportedly present at Yadav's residence, fuelling speculation of their proximity to the BJP.

"They can use whatever language they wish, but the people understand what is happening. They have simply replaced Mamata Banerjee with Narendra Modi as their leader," Banerjee said.

He also claimed that BJP leaders were actively working to engineer a split within the TMC.

"I spoke to Yusuf Pathan last night. He told me that Amit Shah had called him and asked him to come to Delhi. Amit Shah is trying to break our party," Banerjee alleged.

Kirti Azad, speaking alongside him, accused the dissidents of betraying party workers who had stood firm despite alleged attacks from political opponents.

"When BJP workers target our cadre, where will these people stand? If they wish to join the BJP, they should admit it openly instead of pretending otherwise," Azad said.

Targeting Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Azad questioned her criticism of the party leadership and highlighted the opportunities she had received under Mamata Banerjee's leadership.

"Despite losing several elections, she was repeatedly trusted and made an MP by Mamata Banerjee. Yet today she questions the party. She was removed as chief whip because she failed to attend Parliament regularly and issued instructions over the phone," he alleged.

Azad concluded by asserting that the Trinamool Congress had emerged through years of struggle and sacrifice.

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"Those who choose to leave are free to do so, but they should not invoke the party's name. We built this organisation through struggle, and betrayal has no place in it," he said.