New Delhi, June 12 (IANS) Trinamool Congress (TMC), in the throes of crisis over rebellion in its Parliamentary unit, may be on the brink of a split as the rebel lawmakers are set to meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday and seek recognition and sanctity as the ‘real TMC’.

The rebel faction, claiming to have support and signatures of 19 TMC MPs, has reportedly sought a meeting with the LS Speaker, where they will submit their consent to form a separate TMC parliamentary group.

TMC MP Jagadish Barma Basunia, speaking exclusively to IANS, confirmed that they will meet Speaker Om Birla on June 15 (Monday) and stake a claim for a separate group and also its official recognition.

“The letter contains signatures of 19 TMC MPs, who want a Parliamentary group of their own and have also listed reasons for separation from Mamata-led TMC. Our demand is that we are the real Trinamool Congress and should be given recognition,” he told IANS.

Jagadish Barma Basunia, an MP from Cooch Behar, is among the group of rebel MPs who are pitching for the formation of a separate parliamentary faction and extending support to the NDA in the Lok Sabha.

He also stated that all dissident lawmakers hold a common opinion on breaking away from the party and asserted that they won’t back down later.

Earlier, TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, leading the mutiny against Mamata, had claimed that 20 out of 28 TMC MPs in Lok Sabha want to be recognised as a separate bloc and align with the NDA.

Meanwhile, the rebel MPs are set to hold a meeting in the national capital on Sunday to discuss and deliberate upon strategy, before making the final move.

The meeting, to be attended by all rebel MPs, will also see the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, sources privy to the development said.

–IANS

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