The rebellion within the Trinamool Congress (TMC) escalated on Friday as the faction of dissident MPs -- claiming the support of 19 Lok Sabha members -- said it would approach Speaker Om Birla next week to seek recognition as the "real TMC" parliamentary group.
The move has been rejected by the Mamata Banerjee-led party, which argues that such a claim has no basis under India's anti-defection law.
Rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said the dissident faction had already submitted a representation to the Speaker and would formally press its case on Monday.
"We have submitted the letter... On Monday, we will go to the Speaker and stake our claim to form the real TMC parliamentary group. We will ask the Speaker to give recognition to our claim," Basunia told PTI.
He said the process of collecting signatures began on June 8 and that 19 MPs had backed the representation so far. Sources said the timing of the meeting with the Speaker had not yet been finalised.
The announcement prompted a strong response from the TMC, which said the dissidents' position was legally unsustainable.
Party MP Mahua Moitra argued that provisions allowing a split within a party had been removed through the Constitution's 91st Amendment.
"Traitor TMC lawmakers don't know the law. Constitution 91st Amendment 2003 removed the provision for a split/separate bloc. The number of MPs is irrelevant -- 2/3 of the original political party has to merge with another party. All 19 traitors need to resign & contest on BJP ticket," she wrote on X.
The dispute comes at a time of deep turmoil within the TMC, with a rebellion that began in West Bengal following the party's assembly election defeat now spilling into Parliament.
Last week, more than two-thirds of the TMC's MLAs -- 58 out of 80 -- broke away from the official legislature party and secured recognition as the principal opposition bloc in the West Bengal assembly under expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee. The rebel camp has since claimed that its strength has risen further.
The crisis later spread to Parliament, with rebel MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claiming the support of more than 20 Lok Sabha members. A purported list containing the names and signatures of 19 TMC Lok Sabha MPs has been circulated online, although the alleged letter sent to the Speaker has not been made public. Dissident leaders say the document reflects support for their effort to seek recognition.
The list reportedly includes Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Satabdi Roy, Bapi Haldar, Sharmila Sarkar, Prasun Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Barma Basunia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Saayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rahaman, Abu Taher Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bag, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, June Malia and Partha Bhowmick.
However, TMC MP Kirti Azad accused the BJP of attempting to engineer defections through what he described as "Operation Lotus", claiming efforts to split the party had so far failed.
"Operation Lotus, under the guidance of Amit Shah, is underway," Azad said in a post on X on Friday, claiming that it had "failed so far".
Azad pointed to Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik's appearance outside BJP leader Nishikant Dubey's residence, a meeting of dissident MPs at Union minister Bhupender Yadav's residence, and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari's visit to TMC MP Satabdi Roy's home as evidence of what he described as a coordinated attempt to weaken the party.
On Thursday, Baraik became the third TMC parliamentarian this week to resign from both the party and the Rajya Sabha, following Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev.
The crisis has also exposed tensions within the party's leadership.
Senior TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee launched a sharp attack on the party's national general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee, on Thursday and said he would remain in the party only if Abhishek was removed from all leadership positions.
Seeking to play down the significance of the disagreement, Azad defended Kalyan Banerjee. "Everything is okay, there's no problem. Kalyan Banerjee is emotional. He has been with Didi through bad times; he can never betray her or stab her in the back," Azad told PTI.
Basunia, meanwhile, endorsed Kalyan Banerjee's criticism of Abhishek Banerjee and rejected Azad's allegation that dissident MPs were being offered money to switch allegiance.
"Kirti Azad is a liar. This is not right to say. We are 19 MPs, and he is also an MP... it is not right to make such allegations," said Basunia.
Meanwhile,tThe political upheaval has also led to changes in the party's arrangements in New Delhi.
The TMC has shifted its Delhi operations from 20, Rajendra Prasad Road — the government bungalow allotted to Lok Sabha MP Partha Bhowmick, where the party's Delhi office had been functioning since last year — back to the 61, South Avenue residence of Rajya Sabha MP Md Nadimul Haque.
According to sources, Bhowmick, who is associated with the dissident camp, surrendered the bungalow and requested a flat instead.
The West Bengal-based party has witnessed a series of high-profile departures this week, with Rajya Sabha MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray, Sushmita Dev and Prakash Chik Baraik all resigning from the party.
Despite the growing rebellion, several senior leaders have publicly reaffirmed their loyalty to Mamata Banerjee.
Lok Sabha MPs Sougata Roy, Shatrughan Sinha and Pratima Mondal, along with Rajya Sabha MP Babul Supriyo, have denied being part of any dissident faction and insisted they remain committed to the party.
The dispute has also sparked debate over India's anti-defection law.
TMC leaders argue that while a group backed by two-thirds of MPs may seek protection from disqualification under provisions relating to mergers, the law does not permit the creation of a separate parliamentary bloc.
