Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra on Monday slammed Baharampur MP and former cricketer Yusuf Pathan for allegedly siding with the party’s rebel faction, hours after 20 of its 28 Lok Sabha MPs split to form a separate group.
Moitra, who represents Krishnanagar in the Lok Sabha, took to X to criticise the cricketer-turned-politician for allegedly rushing to New Delhi after being summoned by Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
She dared Pathan to show some courage and reminded him of his days representing India in international cricket. “Our district voted you in by a huge margin. Have some shame and some spine,” she wrote on the social media platform.
Moitra has so far stood firmly with former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, even as the party faces its worst crisis since its formation in 1998.
In fact, she recently 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.
YUSUF PATHAN-MAMATA BANERJEE ROW
Pathan was recently at the centre of a political storm after a Bengali daily reported that the TMC had sought the help of former India captain Sourav Ganguly to persuade the former cricketer to resign as Baharampur MP, paving the way for Banerjee to contest a bypoll from the seat.
The report further claimed that Pathan had turned down the proposal.
According to the report, the TMC viewed Baharampur as a safe constituency for Banerjee, with Muslims, a key support base for the party, accounting for an estimated 50-52 per cent of the electorate.
However, Ganguly dismissed the claims outright, accusing the publication of acting in “reckless disregard of the truth”.
Pathan had defeated Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, becoming the first TMC candidate to win Baharampur since the party’s formation in the late 1990s.
TMC LOK SABHA MPs SPLIT
Moitra’s latest remarks came hours after 20 Lok Sabha MPs, led by Chief Whip Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, wrote to Speaker Om Birla declaring support for the BJP-led NDA, triggering a split in the TMC’s parliamentary unit.
Ghosh Dastidar said the decision to break away was taken after consultations with fellow MPs. “We have accepted the people’s verdict and believe our future political course should be aligned with the NDA,” she said.
Sources in the rebel camp said the MPs do not plan to immediately quit the TMC or formally join the BJP. Instead, they intend to function as a separate parliamentary group while extending support to the NDA.
The move is being viewed as an attempt to shield the rebel MPs from disqualification under the anti-defection law.
TMC LEGISLATURE PARTY SPLITS
Monday’s development came just days after expelled Trinamool Congress MLAs Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha submitted a letter claiming the support of 60 legislators while reaffirming the three-time CM as the party’s leader.
The letter, signed by 58 MLAs, proposed Ritabrata’s name for the post of Leader of the Opposition.
The move was widely viewed as an attempt to isolate Abhishek Banerjee, whom Ritabrata has repeatedly accused of running the party like a corporate organisation rather than a political movement.
With the backing of 60 MLAs, Ritabrata and Sandipan comfortably crossed the two-thirds mark required under the anti-defection law. The numbers could strengthen their position in the event of a formal split, potentially allowing the faction to stake a claim to the TMC’s election symbol.
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