3 weeks ago
TMC rebels face public backlash after aligning with NDA
Some politicians in West Bengal, a state in India, changed sides and joined a different team, the party led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Many people who vote for them were not happy about this.
When one politician and his wife returned home from New Delhi, crowds shouted angry slogans at them and they had to run away with police protection.
In another part of the city, supporters of the state's leader, Mamata Banerjee, locked up an office used by a politician who changed sides.
A woman politician who switched teams was told to 'go back' when she visited a town.
Some people said the politicians tricked their voters by leaving the party they had supported.
The politicians who changed sides then went to meet important leaders like the Home Minister and the Prime Minister for help.
They also tried to say they were protecting minority rights, but local people did not believe them.
In the end, the politicians found that big leaders could not protect them from angry voters at home.
Cooch Behar MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia and his wife, Sitai MLA Sangeeta Roy, retreated under police cover after residents of Sitai Bazar raised hostile slogans against them.
Mamata Banerjee loyalists locked a party office in south Calcutta's Garfa previously used by Jadavpur MP Sayani Ghosh, branding the defectors traitors.
Keshpur MLA Seuli Saha faced 'go back' chants and accusations of developmental neglect while visiting Khudiram Bose's ancestral home in West Midnapore.
Murshidabad MPs Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman and Yusuf Pathan met Union home minister Amit Shah, PM Modi and Suvendu Adhikari to counter local backlash.
The Murshidabad trio's minority-rights outreach over the Bengal SIR and mosque microphone removals was dismissed by local actors as panic-driven survival tactics.
- Who
- Trinamool Congress leaders who defected to the BJP-backed NDA, including Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia, Sayani Ghosh, Seuli Saha and the three Murshidabad MPs, facing anger from loyalists and constituents.
- What
- Voters and party loyalists staged hostile protests, locked a party office and forced defecting politicians to retreat, prompting the rebels to seek help from top BJP leaders.
- Where
- West Bengal, including Sitai Bazar and Cooch Behar town, Garfa in south Calcutta, West Midnapore, Shyambazar, Halishahar and Murshidabad, with meetings in New Delhi.
- When
- Protests erupted on Monday and Tuesday, while the Murshidabad MPs held meetings from Thursday through Saturday of the same week.
- Why
- Constituents and loyalists viewed the defections as treachery, while the rebels sought high-level backing to counter the public backlash.
TMC Loyalists & Protesters
Rebel Faction & Defectors
Defection to the NDA
TMC Loyalists & Protesters
Defecting to the BJP-backed NDA is treachery; protesters called the rebels traitors and warned they could face worse if they returned to their constituencies.
Rebel Faction & Defectors
The rebels aligned with the NDA, attended PM Modi's breakfast table, met Union leaders, and some still declared loyalty to Mamata Banerjee, with one saying 'Where Didi is, there I am.'
Minority rights credibility
TMC Loyalists & Protesters
Local actors dismissed the Murshidabad MPs' outreach on the Bengal SIR and mosque microphone removals as panic-driven survival tactics, branding the MPs as Sangh proxies.
Rebel Faction & Defectors
The three Murshidabad MPs recast themselves as defenders of minority rights by highlighting the contentious Bengal SIR and the removal of microphones from mosques.
Key facts
- State
- West Bengal, India
- Parties Involved
- Trinamool Congress (TMC) and BJP-backed NDA
- Rebel Faction Leader
- Ritabrata Banerjee
- Murshidabad MPs
- Abu Taher Khan, Khalilur Rahman, Yusuf Pathan
- High-Level Meetings
- Amit Shah (Thursday), PM Modi (Friday), Suvendu Adhikari (Saturday)
- Issues Rebels Highlighted
- Bengal SIR and removal of microphones from mosques
- Earlier Flashpoints
- Attack on Mamata Banerjee's convoy at Halishahar; 'chor' slogans at Shyambazar
Quotes
Md Tauseef Rahman
MLA from Basirhat Uttar who defected with the Ritabrata bloc
“Our supreme leader has been attacked. We are protesting strongly. We won on Mamata's symbol. All 80 Trinamool MLAs should protest this.”
telegraphindia.com
“Where Didi is, there I am. Without Mamata Banerjee's picture, I would not have gotten even 500 votes.”
telegraphindia.com
Unidentified protester
A protester at Basunia’s return rally
“It was an expression of discontent over their treachery. They could face worse if they return to Sitai.”
telegraphindia.com
Sources
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