NEW DELHI: In a major setback for Mamata Banerjee, expelled Trinamool Congress leader Ritabrata Banerjee claimed on Wednesday that assembly Speaker Rathindra Bose had appointed him as the leader of the opposition in the state assembly. Ritabrata further claimed that the Speaker has accepted the rebel group’s claim for legislature party status”We are real and main opposition in West Bengal assembly according to parliamentary norms,” Ritabrata said. “Javed Khan, Sandeepan Saha, Sabina Yasmin, Shiuli Saha to be deputy leaders of TMC legislature party,” he added.Addressing a press briefing, Ritabrata requested Mamata Banerjee to the play role of chief adviser of TMC legislature party.The move marks a dramatic escalation of the crisis within the TMC, with the rebel camp claiming control of the party’s legislature wing following the party’s defeat in the recent assembly elections. Ritabrata, who was expelled from the TMC earlier, said the rebel group consisted of the 58 legislators elected on the party symbol and claimed that two more MLAs were likely to join them.Earlier in the day, the rebel MLAs submitted letters of support to the Speaker, comfortably crossing the two-thirds threshold required under the anti-defection law for a breakaway faction to avoid disqualification. The rebel camp also proposed a new leadership structure, naming Banerjee as legislature party leader, with Javed Khan, Sandipan Saha and Shiuli Saha as deputy leaders and Akhruzzaman as chief whip. Despite challenging the authority of TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, the rebels stopped short of directly confronting Mamata Banerjee. In their communication to the Speaker, they continued to recognise her as the party’s chairperson while rejecting her nephew’s role in the legislature party’s affairs.The developments prompted the TMC to dissolve all its organisational committees across West Bengal and announce a review of the party structure. The rebellion is widely seen as the biggest internal challenge faced by the party since its formation.
