New Delhi, June 9 (IANS) Senior Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury on Tuesday dismissed recent statements made by Trinamool Congress (TMC) leaders amid the growing turmoil within the party, describing the developments as a sign of frustration following political setbacks.

Reacting to Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee’s remarks, Chowdhury said the demand and rhetoric surrounding fresh electoral contests were impractical and reflected political frustration.

“There is no point in talking like a mad person. This cannot happen. This is not some local village or neighbourhood wrestling match where if someone loses once, they can fight again after half an hour. It is certainly a contest, but not a village wrestling match. Elections cannot be held across the country in this manner… This is an expression of frustration,” he told IANS.

A meeting between a group of Trinamool MPs and Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav on Monday sparked fresh controversy within the party. Reacting to the development, Kalyan Banerjee accused the MPs of gravitating towards the BJP, remarking that they now looked up to PM Narendra Modi as their leader.

The Congress veteran also commented on the growing rebellion within the Trinamool after senior party MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar emerged as the face of a dissident group of parliamentarians.

Responding to Dastidar’s recent remarks, Chowdhury said, “So what can we say? Working for the country is not a crime. After being in TMC for so many years, maybe they did not get the opportunity to work for the country. Now all the work is being remembered after losing the elections. It is their own choice. We contest elections, we become people’s representatives…So those who are absconding will behave like this…”

The comments come amid an escalating political crisis within the Trinamool Congress, with reports of a significant split in the party’s parliamentary ranks.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a four-time Lok Sabha MP from West Bengal’s Barasat constituency and a medical doctor by profession, has emerged at the centre of what is being described as the biggest parliamentary revolt faced by the Trinamool in recent years.

The senior parliamentarian is leading a group of rebel Trinamool MPs who have reportedly sought recognition as a separate bloc in Parliament, placing her on a direct collision course with party supremo and West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee.

The rebellion follows a series of internal disagreements within the party and comes at a time when the Trinamool leadership is facing increasing questions over organisational cohesion.

–IANS

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