TMC crisis highlights: 'Real' vs 'fake' TMC fight heats up, rebel leaders set to meet Lok Sabha speaker on Monday

TMC crisis highlights: In refreshed inconvenience for TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, an fir tree has been registered against her o'er alleged provocative remarks made during the endure assembly poll campaign, a senior officer said on Friday, PTI reported.A person lodged a complaint at the Netaji Nagar Police Station, alleging that Banerjee's comments at a party programme at the Metro Channel in Kolkata's Esplanade area on March 9 were "capable of promoting enmity between communities", he said.West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari will be meeting rebelling TMC MPs in Delhi on Sunday, rebel TMC MP Jagdish Basunia said. The MPs are set to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday in the national capital.Twenty rebel MPs from the TMC will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to stake claim to be recognised as the "real TMC", rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said on Friday.The crisis within the Trinamool Congress appears to be deepening, with fresh signs of rebellion emerging across the party's ranks. What began as discontent over the party's functioning has now escalated into a multi-front challenge involving senior leaders, MPs and MLAs.The latest flashpoint came on Thursday when veteran party leader and senior advocate Kalyan Banerjee publicly attacked national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, accusing him of arrogance and disrespect towards senior leaders. His remarks came even as Abhishek appeared before investigators in Kolkata in connection with the signature fraud case.The developments add to a series of setbacks for the Mamata Banerjee-led party, including the recognition of a rebel bloc in the West Bengal Assembly, the emergence of a parallel group among TMC MPs, resignations by senior parliamentarians and renewed speculation about a possible rapprochement with Congress.Kalyan Banerjee issues ultimatum to Mamata: The sharpest attack yet on Mamata's nephew Abhishek Banerjee came from Kalyan Banerjee, who said he would no longer represent the TMC leader in court and accused him of contributing to the party's current troubles.“Henceforth, I won’t be appearing in any legal matter of Abhishek Banerjee. I don’t like his arrogance. I am a senior advocate and senior to him in politics. He should understand that the party is facing this distress because of him. He can’t go on disrespecting people,” Kalyan Banerjee told HT.The Serampore MP also directly challenged party chief Mamata Banerjee to choose between him and her nephew, signalling that his future in the party could depend on her decision.“Mamata Banerjee has to choose between me or him. This is an ultimatum. I leave it to her wisdom. If she says the party cannot run without Abhishek, I will have to look for other ways,” Kalyan Banerjee told reporters in Kolkata.The outburst was triggered by his removal from a signature forgery case through what he described as a late-night text message.Rebel MLAs recognised as principal Opposition bloc: The first major indication of the party's internal split surfaced in the West Bengal Assembly last week when Speaker Rathindra Nath Bose recognised a group of 58 rebel TMC MLAs as the principal Opposition bloc.The faction is being led by Ritabrata Banerjee, marking an unprecedented development for a party that has dominated West Bengal politics for over a decade.A parallel rebellion takes shape among MPs: The unrest has also spread to Parliament, where a separate group of TMC MPs has emerged.Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who resigned from all party posts last week, claimed that nearly 20 MPs are backing the dissident camp. She also indicated that the group would be willing to support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.More prominent leaders join dissident camp: The rebel camp has continued to attract high-profile leaders. On Wednesday, MPs Saayoni Ghosh and Mala Roy joined the dissident lawmakers.Other MPs said to be aligned with the group include Abu Taher, Asit Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Kalipada Soren, Jagadish Basunia, Prasun Banerjee, Sharmila Sarkar, Satabdi Roy, Yusuf Pathan, June Malia, Khalilur Rahaman, Bapi Halder, Rachana Banerjee, Mitali Bag, Dev Adhikari and Partha Bhowmick.Resignations add to pressure on leadership: The party's troubles have been compounded by a string of resignations. Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman CP Radhakrishnan accepted the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Sushmita Dev with effect from June 10.Her exit followed the resignation of senior TMC leader Sukhendu Sekhar Ray from both the Rajya Sabha and the party's primary membership.Congress merger buzz gains traction: The widening rift has also triggered speculation about a possible merger or closer alignment between TMC and the Indian National Congress, particularly after Mamata Banerjee met Sonia Gandhi in Delhi earlier this week.The discussion gained further momentum after Abhishek Banerjee met Lok Sabha Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday to explore ways of strengthening ties between the two parties.However, Congress leaders have rejected reports of any merger, and people familiar with the matter have said no such proposal is currently under consideration.TMC counters rebels: Amid the escalating crisis, the Mamata Banerjee camp has sought to push back against the dissidents. On Tuesday, party leaders accused the rebel MPs of lacking “political morality and ethics” and described them as opportunists attempting to engineer a split.At the same time, uncertainty remains over the actual strength of the rebel faction. There is still no clear picture of which MPs have formally joined the dissident group, while Lok Sabha officials are yet to clarify the status of the letter that the rebels claim to have submitted.