It only took one post on social media to rattle an already uneasy Trinamool Congress. When TMC MP Shatrughan Sinha made a point of congratulating Narendra Modi and calling him a ‘friend and guide’, it was enough to have people wondering if a break with Mamata was in the offing, all while the party is fielding reports of a growing number of holdouts in the House.
A way of putting it that made things hot
On X, Sinha’s message to the Prime Minister was uncharacteristically cordial from someone who has been in the opposition camp and not shy about his views on the BJP in recent times. He called him a ‘friend & guide of society/nation’ and marked 12 years in the job – ‘maybe the longest ever’.
You can see why it made waves. The TMC is no stranger to stories of dissent and members making for the door. Sinha didn’t say he was going anywhere, but if you are in the business of reading between the lines, his words looked like a sign of the times.
Putting the record straight: he is with Mamata
Sinha made sure to put an end to the noise by Thursday. He said there was no way he was leaving Mamata in the lurch now, not when she had been there for him after he lost in Patna in 2019 and put her weight behind his Asansol bid to keep his seat in the House.
He was put on the TMC ticket, the ‘Jora Phool’, for two terms, so he sees it as his job to be there for Banerjee. He has had overtures from the other side, but he says being blunt is not the same as defecting.
The rest of the room is in a tizzy
And then there is the matter of the parliamentary split. Some of the leaders in the rebel fold are talking up a storm, with 20 of them in the Lok Sabha wanting to be seated apart and open to working with the Centre and the state for the good of West Bengal.
Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is at the forefront of it and has been in touch with the Speaker about where they will sit. She has made it clear they won’t be in the BJP but will back the NDA. A letter with the necessary signatures has been put in, though you won’t find any official word on it yet.
This is on top of a run of departures. Prakash Chik Baraik has put in his papers as a Rajya Sabha MP, the third in a week. Before him, Sukhendu Sekhar Ray was done with both the party and his seat, pointing to what he saw as corruption and a public that had had enough. Sushmita Dev has also left the Rajya Sabha, and you can bet there is some head-scratching over what she will do next.
What made Sinha’s comment stand out
He has been in the BJP for a long time before he made the switch to the opposition and then to the TMC. So for him to laud the Prime Minister is bound to be seen as something. But make no mistake, there is nothing on the record to say he is heading for the exit or back to the BJP.
Some have his name down with 19 others in the rebel wing, which has only added to the chatter. Sinha has put a stop to that, in his own way, by saying he is with Banerjee when she needs him most.
Figures that could change the TMC’s standing
Should the rebels get their way on seating, it could mean a reordering of the TMC in the House. It is not unlike what happened in the Assembly with Ritabrata Banerjee, who was shown the door and claimed 58 of his colleagues were with the opposition.
In the background, you hear whispers that the Congress has been in touch with Banerjee to put together a more united front. Nothing is confirmed, of course, so all options are on the table.
Where to look in the days ahead
We will see if the hardliners in the TMC firm up or let it go once Sinha has made his position known. It will come down to how the Speaker handles any request and what the TMC does to put a lid on the seepage of support.
For the moment, Sinha’s note is just that – a well-wish with more than a little fallout. To say the Prime Minister has been in office for 12 years is to hit a raw spot in the TMC right now.
Keep an eye on these as we go:
– If the 20 MPs make a formal block of their own
– Word from the Speaker’s end
– More people in or out of the TMC
– What the rebels mean by their NDA backing
– Any sign of a Congress-TMC understanding
