West Bengal Assembly: 10 Rebel TMC MLAs Issued Notices Over Disqualification Petition

The political atmosphere in West Bengal has intensified as the West Bengal Assembly Secretariat issued formal notices to 10 rebel MLAs associated with the Trinamool Congress (TMC). This development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing internal conflict within the party, transitioning the dispute into a formal administrative and legal proceeding. The notices, dispatched on Tuesday, require the rebel legislators to provide a detailed response within a period of one week regarding a disqualification petition filed against them by the faction led by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The List of Notified Legislators

The action taken by the Assembly Secretariat has brought the names of several prominent political figures into the spotlight. The 10 MLAs who have been served with these notices include Ritabrata Banerjee, who currently serves as the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly. Other legislators named in the notice are Firhad Hakim, Arup Roy, Sandipan Saha, Shiuli Saha, Akhruzzaman Ansari, Biplab Mitra, Sabina Yasmin, Javed Khan, and Rathin Ghosh. This move has effectively formalized the battle for control over the TMC, as the two factions continue their bitter struggle within the legislative framework.

Response from the Rebel Faction

Following the receipt of the notices, members of the rebel group have indicated that they're preparing their legal and political strategy, while akhruzzaman Ansari, one of the legislators named in the notice, confirmed receiving the document from the Assembly Secretariat on Tuesday night. He stated that the group intends to discuss the matter internally within their faction and will provide an appropriate response at the right time, while the one-week deadline set by the secretariat puts pressure on the rebel group to justify their actions and defend their positions as members of the assembly.

Legal Battles in the Supreme Court and High Court

The issuance of these notices follows a series of legal maneuvers by the Mamata Banerjee faction. Shobhandeb Bhattacharya, a candidate from the Mamata-led group for the post of Leader of the Opposition, recently approached the Supreme Court. The petition filed in the apex court seeks the disqualification of Ritabrata Banerjee and 9 other leaders from his faction. This legal move was initiated just a day before the Assembly Secretariat issued the formal notices, while Also, the dispute over the appointment of the Leader of the Opposition is already a subject of litigation in the Calcutta High Court. Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay has challenged the decision of the Assembly Speaker to recognize Ritabrata Banerjee in that role.

Allegations of Anti-Party Activities

The roots of this disqualification demand trace back to July 7, when Shobhandeb Chattopadhyay wrote a formal letter to Assembly Speaker Rathin Bose. In the letter, he demanded the disqualification of the 10 members of the rebel faction, alleging that these MLAs had acted against the fundamental interests of the party. The internal rift was further highlighted by the defection of Madan Mitra, a leader previously considered very close to Mamata Banerjee, who left her side to join the camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee. As the one-week deadline approaches, the political future of these 10 legislators remains uncertain, pending their response and the subsequent decision of the assembly authorities.