Mamata Banerjee, Trinamool Congress (TMC) founder and former West Bengal chief minister, is facing a crisis as 20 of her MPs have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and expressed support for the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The move comes after a crushing defeat in the recently concluded assembly elections, with several MPs and MLAs breaking rank to head the party in their own terms. The faction of 20 rebel MPs, which includes heavy-weights like Jadavpur MP Saayoni Ghosh, has written a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla stating that they have merged with the NCPI.
The Speaker's office has emailed the group of TMC MPs led by Mamata Banerjee, and they have been called for a meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker. The Speaker will take a decision in the matter of TMC's rebel MPs only after hearing both sides.
The merger with NCPI has set the stage for one of the biggest defections in India's parliamentary history, with the 20 rebel lawmakers expressing their support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.
