Expelled Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader and Leader of Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday called for a floor test in the West Bengal Assembly amid the ongoing political turmoil and rebellion within the ruling party, asserting that his camp has the numbers to prove its strength on the House floor.
"My point is that there are 80 MLAs. Let there be a floor test. Let those who are making such claims prove their numbers. We have the numbers," Banerjee said.
Speaking to reporters, Banerjee argued that a floor test would put an end to the speculation and competing claims surrounding the current political situation in the state.
"I am saying this because people outside are making so many statements, and the media is also showing immense interest in these remarks. If the Speaker feels a floor test needs to happen, let there be a floor test. Once the floor test takes place, all this endless rhetoric and cross-talk will come to an end," he said.
Reacting to reports that TMC chief Mamata Banerjee had moved the Calcutta High Court challenging her recent electoral defeat in the Bhabanipur Assembly constituency, Banerjee said he was unaware of the details and declined to comment on the petition.
"Regarding Mamata Banerjee's petition, I am not aware of it, so I cannot comment on that. But what I can say is that the people of Bengal have decisively defeated us. The mandate of the people of Bengal is against us, so not accepting that mandate means being in denial, which is not healthy for democracy," he said.
Banerjee further claimed that more than two-thirds of the MLAs in the West Bengal Assembly were aligned with his faction and alleged that a similar shift was taking place among the party's parliamentarians.
"As far as the Bengal Assembly is concerned, more than two-thirds of the MLAs are with us. In Parliament, more than two-thirds of the MPs have taken a collective decision, and resignations are currently happening in the Rajya Sabha. It is at 10 right now, but it will soon drop to single digits," he claimed.
The remarks come amid a widening rebellion within the TMC. A total of 58 Trinamool Congress MLAs have formed a separate faction in the West Bengal Assembly, where Banerjee has been recognised as the Leader of Opposition by Speaker Rathindra Bose.
In the Lok Sabha, meanwhile, a group of MPs led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). The MPs have also written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking a separate seating arrangement in the Lower House.
