Is TMC rebel camp cracking? 3 MLAs share stage with Mamata loyalists

Is the Ritabrata Banerjee-aligned Trinamool faction beginning to fray just three months after it emerged as a separate power centre within the party?The question has gained traction after three sitting MLAs who had earlier aligned with the Ritabrata camp were seen sharing the stage with senior leaders from the Kalighat camp on Thursday while protesting the alleged attack on Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.The development came days after the former West Bengal CM visited Halisahar to protest the death of a Trinamool worker and faced demonstrations there, with allegations that stones and mud were thrown at her vehicle.As Kalighat-aligned Trinamool workers staged protests across the state condemning the incident, three MLAs previously associated with the Ritabrata camp appeared alongside senior Kalighat leaders outside the Assembly. They were Abdul Khaleque Molla from Metiabruz, Mohammad Tausif Rahman from Basirhat North and Bibhas Sardar from Baruipur East.Later, their appearance alongside senior leaders Sovandeb Chattopadhyay and Kunal Ghosh at a press conference has fuelled speculation over whether some MLAs are moving back towards the former CM’s direct political fold.‘WHEREVER DIDI IS, TAUSIF IS THERE’ Basirhat North MLA Tausif-ur-Rahman left little ambiguity about his loyalty to Mamata Banerjee.“Wherever Didi is, Tausif is there too. I wouldn't secure even ten votes from Basirhat without Didi's picture; that is the reality of the Trinamool Congress in West Bengal,” he said.He added that despite his security cover being withdrawn, his political identity and support in Basirhat remained firmly tied to Mamata Banerjee and the Trinamool Congress.Baruipur East MLA Bibhas Sardar, meanwhile, stressed party unity rather than factional allegiance.“We won under the ‘Jora Ful’ symbol. We won under the symbol given by Mamata Banerjee. When she was attacked, we protested,” he said.Sardar added that all 80 Trinamool MLAs should protest the alleged attack on Banerjee and maintained that, despite internal groupings, all factions ultimately remained part of the Trinamool Congress.Metiabruz MLA Abdul Khaleque Molla took a more nuanced position.“An attack was carried out against Mamata Banerjee. I participated in the protest programme against it. I do not wish to specify which faction I belong to. Currently, I align with the Ritabrata faction, yet I am protesting the attack on Mamata Didi,” he said.RITABRATA PLAYS DOWN SPECULATIONLeader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee sought to play down suggestions that his camp was losing support.“It is not my responsibility to speak for Bibhas Sardar or Tausif Rahman. I can state that Abdul Khaleque Molla is with us,” he said.“And the count is 65. I can assure you the number will not be lower than that. If the Kalighat faction of Trinamool is so confident, let them submit a letter and claim that their numbers are higher,” Ritabrata added.The remarks indicate that while the three MLAs joined the Kalighat camp in protesting the alleged attack on Mamata Banerjee, there is still no clear evidence that all of them have formally abandoned the Ritabrata group.FACTION DEBATE RETURNSThe timing has nevertheless renewed attention on the internal equations within the Trinamool Congress.The Ritabrata-aligned group had emerged after the Assembly polls in May as a parallel power centre within the party. The sight of MLAs associated with that camp now appearing alongside Kalighat leaders has therefore revived speculation about its cohesion.Leaders from the Kalighat camp argue that the attack on the Chief Minister has brought party MLAs together irrespective of internal groupings.For now, the public line remains that “all factions are one”. But the changing optics, with MLAs appearing on different political stages within three months, have ensured that the debate over competing camps inside the Trinamool Congress is unlikely to disappear soon.- EndsPublished By: Aprameya RaoPublished On: Aug 10, 2026 23:03 IST