Don't call yourself TMC: Mahua Moitra rips into 'completely useless' rebel MLAs

As the Trinamool Congress plunged into its biggest internal crisis since its formation nearly three decades ago, party MP Mahua Moitra launched a blistering attack on the rebel MLAs who wrested control of the legislature wing, calling them "completely useless" leaders who had survived solely on Mamata Banerjee's charisma and no longer had the stomach to fight the BJP from the opposition benches.

In an exclusive interaction with India Today, Moitra accused the BJP of engineering the split through coercion and intimidation, alleging that the rebel legislators were pressured into switching camps with threats of arrests and central agency action. She also claimed the dissidents, led by expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, were unwilling to remain in the opposition after years in power and were instead choosing the "safe" route.

"We have had these people who are completely useless, who have been in the party, riding off of Mamata Didi's charisma and taking advantage of the party. Please go on your own today. Be part of your Ritabrata Congress. Do whatever you have to do," she said, adding, "But don't call yourself the Trinamool Congress".

The Trinamool witnessed an apparent split for the first time in its 28-year history on Wednesday after 58 rebel MLAs seized control of the party's legislature wing, elected expelled legislator Ritabrata Banerjee as its leader and secured recognition from the West Bengal Assembly Speaker.

Ritabrata, however, sought to soften the rebellion by urging former chief minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee to serve as chief adviser to the newly constituted legislature team, even as the dissidents declared themselves the "real" Trinamool Congress in the Assembly.

"Please understand that what is happening now, and playing out for all of India to see, is that the BJP has started even wanting to choose the leaders of the opposition. Not content with just breaking parties, they now want to make sure that they pick and choose even the leaders of the opposition in the states that they have won," she alleged further.

Moitra claimed that the operation to split the legislators was orchestrated by the BJP, alleging that current chief minister Suvendu Adhikari, a former "soldier of the Trinamool", knew "every Achilles' heel" of each MLA and had targeted them individually.

"He knows exactly what each Achilles’ heel of each MLA is. He has done this operation one-to-one on each MLA. So one MLA, for example, Sabina Yasmin in Motabari, has been told, 'The NIA will get you for the Motabari violence'. Two other people, Javed Khan, for example, have been told, 'You will be arrested. Your son will be arrested for the illegal construction in your area'. So each of these people have got some pressure point," the MP alleged.

Further targeting the defectors, Moitra said many among them had become too accustomed to being in power and no longer wanted to function as an opposition party.

"The problem is, fifteen years of staying in power, they cannot be in opposition anymore. They have forgotten what it is to be in opposition. They have lost the stomach for a fight. They don't want to fight the BJP. They don't want to fight the police. They don't want ED. They don't want CBI. They just want to play safe," she said.

Moitra maintained that the party was "definitely not imploding" and insisted that "Mamata Banerjee and the core group are the party", adding that they would "start afresh".

Dismissing suggestions that recognition of the rebel faction by the Election Commission could politically destroy the TMC, she said, "Mamata Banerjee, when she left the Congress, picked up a pen and paper, drew this symbol and got it. A person who can draw her own symbol and fight and become a three-term chief minister will fight and create another symbol."

"We don't care. They can take any picture. They can take any symbol. They will never be the Trinamool Congress," she added.

Responding to claims by the rebel camp that their revolt was directed against TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee rather than Mamata Banerjee, Moitra questioned why the MLAs had contested elections on TMC tickets only weeks earlier.

Defending Abhishek Banerjee against allegations that central agencies were tightening the noose around him, Moitra said the TMC leadership would not compromise under pressure.

"Abhishek is a strong man, and he will bear it. His DNA is not to compromise. Whether he goes to jail, whether he does everything, everybody will see what the BJP is doing," she said.

Meanwhile, in a twist in the rebel camp, several legislators are reportedly insisting that Mamata Banerjee remain supreme leader and warning they may reconsider their place in the bloc if she is reduced to a mere adviser.