Lashing out at the rebels, Banerjee alleged that some had switched sides to avoid scrutiny by Central agencies, while others had been lured by money or pressured into leaving. “They sold their self-respect,” he said.
“Someone has to escape ED, CBI… Some are getting money, or being threatened…” he said, claiming he had “concrete proof” and inviting anyone disputing his allegations to approach a court. “They are joining hands with the BJP because they can’t fight; there is no space for such people in Bengal politics.”
Banerjee also alleged that Central agencies were being used to target opposition leaders. “In the last seven days, I have received five summons… There have been two raids at my house, two raids at Mamata ji‘s house. They took Mamata ji‘s security. We don’t want it either. What can one expect from the government that unleashed bulldozers on the poor?” he said.
Asked whether the TMC would move court, Banerjee said the party would decide its next steps in due course. “We have left it to the judgment and wisdom of the speaker. He has said he will listen to the other side again and call us once more. I hope the speaker of the Lok Sabha will work as per the Constitution and not choke democracy,” he said.
The move comes after Birla invited Banerjee to present the TMC’s position before taking a decision on the rebels’ demand for recognition as a separate group following their proposed merger with the NCPI.
Banerjee had also written to the speaker last week urging him not to accord any recognition, status or facilities to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the TMC, arguing that neither the Constitution nor the anti-defection law permits the creation of a separate group within an existing political party.
If the speaker accepts the rebels’ plea, the NCPI would become the second-largest NDA constituent in the Lok Sabha, ahead of the Telugu Desam Party (TDP), which has 16 MPs, and the Janata Dal (United), which has 12. The BJP has 239 MPs of its own, excluding the speaker.
The NCPI was registered as a political party in January 2023. The Election Commission records list its address as a building in Sankrail in West Bengal’s Howrah district.
Former Lok Sabha secretary-general and constitutional expert P.D.T Achary pointed to Paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule, which deals with exemptions from disqualification in cases of merger. Under the provision, a member is protected from disqualification only when the original political party merges with another political party and at least two-thirds of the members of its legislature party agree to the merger.
“If the leadership of a political party decides to merge with another political party, its MLAs and MPs have to agree on the merger. But the MPs or MLAs alone cannot merge with another political party. This is the constitutional provision,” Achary told PTI.
With PTI inputs
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