Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The split in the Trinamool Congress (TMC) cemented on June 3 after the party’s rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee was named Leader of the Opposition by Speaker Rathindra Bose.
Even the keys of the room allotted to the Opposition at the state assembly was handed over to him.
TMS has been collapsing less than a month after its defeat in the state election, became evident as minutes later, Firhad Hakim – a key aide of Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee — stepped down from the post of the Kolkata Mayor.
Earlier in the day, Trinamool had dissolved all its committees and frontal organisations with “immediate effect” saying it needed to introspect.
“We would request Mamata Banerjee to be our chief advisor to this opposition front,” he said — in a stark reminder of the time the NCP had split under the leadership of Ajit Pawar but its leaders underscored their allegiance to Sharad Pawar verbally.
Ritabatra also made it very clear that Abhishek Banerjee no role to play.
“Abhishek Banerjee has no connection to the formation of the 18th Assembly of West Bengal,” he said.
Earlier today, Banerjee had arrived at the state assembly claiming he has the support of 59 of the party’s 80 MLAs. The letter claimed this was the “real” Trinamool Congress and curiously, claimed Mamata Banerjee was the leader of the faction.
