- 2 days ago
After defeat in the assembly election, the TMC is facing a political crisis as sixty of its eighty lawmakers have rebelled against Abhishek Banerjee, the nephew of Mamata Banerjee.
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00:01Good evening, you're watching India First. I'm Gaurav Sawan. Big story coming in from West Bengal, where former Chief Minister
00:09and Thriramul Congress Supremo Mamata Banerjee faces perhaps the biggest challenge and eternity.
00:15The Thriramul Congress is now split wide open on the issue of the appointment of Leader of Opposition in the
00:22State Assembly. A letter was submitted in the Assembly, electing Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of the Thriramul Congress in
00:30the Assembly and as Leader of Opposition and Akru Zaman as the Chief Whip of the Park.
00:36Incidentally, Ritabrata Banerjee has claimed the support of 58 plus 2. So 58 already in writing and other 2 will
00:44join in the Assembly. 60 of 80 Thriramul Congress MLAs, it seems, are not with Mamata Banerjee.
00:549 of 80, incidentally, had showed up for Mamata Banerjee's protest march yesterday. The Ritabrata Banerjee faction, they say Mamata
01:02Banerjee is their mentor, their leader, their advisor. But Abhishek Banerjee is completely unacceptable to them.
01:10Incidentally, many of these rebel MLAs, including Ritabrata Banerjee, were once, just till a couple of months ago, considered very
01:17close to Abhishek Banerjee.
01:18But this truly is Hela Hobe Pro Max in Bengal. And remember, on India First, we told you yesterday, this
01:26is happening. It's happened.
01:28What's also happened is that Firad Hakeem has resigned as the Mayor of Kolkata. He'd been the Mayor since 2018.
01:34He sought an honourable, a dignified exit.
01:38Earlier, Kakoli Ghosh Dasidhar, she quit as the Mahila Wing Chief. Now, every party post, including student wing leaders, now
01:46all posts are being disbanded.
01:48Abhishek Banerjee is directly in the line of fire, not just politically, but also the agencies are hot on his
01:55heels.
01:56The Enforcement Directorate has summoned Abhishek Banerjee on the 15th of June in connection with the primary school teacher recruitment
02:03scam.
02:05But the immediate problem for the Trinamool Congress, or for Mamata Banerjee, 60 of 80 TMC MLAs have clearly said
02:12Mamata Banerjee, she remains their mentor, their advisor.
02:16But her choice, Shondeh Chattopadhyay, as leader of opposition or leader of Trinamool in assembly, is unacceptable to them.
02:25TMC insiders tell India today that the number of 60 may actually go up even higher in the days ahead.
02:31Even close associates of Mamata Banerjee, take for example, Javed Khan, party vice president till some time back, very senior
02:39leader, has been with the party since very early days.
02:43They've distanced themselves from Abhishek Banerjee officially, but in effect even Mamata Banerjee.
02:49And Mamata Banerjee today is in a very tough spot.
02:52She has the difficult option of choosing either being mentor of the Rita Brata Banerjee, Sandeepan Saha faction and their
03:01advisor of the TMC, or choose her nephew, Bhai Po, Abhishek Banerjee.
03:06And perhaps lead the fight to retake control of the entire Trinamool Congress.
03:12Rita Brata Banerjee incidentally has been given the key to the office of the leader of opposition in the state
03:17assembly.
03:18Now, will this lead to a clash in the days and weeks ahead for control of party, office, more importantly,
03:25funds, some accounts, more than 1,500 crore rupees, who will control the funds, who will get the party symbol?
03:34And unlike the Shiv Sena, Balasaheb Thakre was no longer alive, so the fight was for legacy.
03:40Here, Mamata Banerjee is still alive and yet, is she completely in control?
03:45The challenge for Mamata Banerjee is huge.
03:48On the 6th of May, 10 MLA's stayed away.
03:51On the 19th of May, 35 MLA's stayed away.
03:54And on the 31st of May, 60 of 80 stayed away.
03:57And just yesterday, Mamata Banerjee, when she called for a protest against the attack on Abhishek Banerjee and other Trinamool
04:04leaders, 71 of 80 stayed away.
04:07Is history repeating itself?
04:09First, with NCP and Shiv Sena in Maharashtra and now, Trinamool Congress in Bengal.
04:15We debate.
04:15Coming up at 8.40 tonight, we take a look at a, it's more than just a tragedy.
04:21It's actually a case of massive criminal negligence that claimed 21 lives in the national capital.
04:27Who's responsible for the deaths of 21 people in a hotel fire early this morning in the national capital?
04:34Some of those images are truly horrifying.
04:37A massive fire at a hotel.
04:40Apparently, it was called a B&B, Flourish Stay, Bed and Breakfast, in Delhi's Malabia Nagar.
04:46It's actually exposed glaring lapses in our system.
04:50It was supposed to be just a 6-room bed and breakfast instead.
04:55More than 25 rooms were operating.
04:58How?
04:58How were they operating without necessary clearances when they were not in compliance with safety norms in place?
05:06And the fire department today says they did not take clearance.
05:08But what was the same fire department or the municipal corporation doing for such a long time?
05:13While a high-level inquiry may have been ordered, the owner of this B&B is on the run.
05:18There's a case that's been registered against him.
05:21But will there be accountability at the level of administration officials who let this happen?
05:28Decades ago, I had covered the upahar tragedy in the national capital, where a fire had taken place at a
05:34cinema hall.
05:35History just seems to repeat itself with no lessons learned.
05:38And can authorities actually take hard action to ensure that incidents like this, and this is more than just a
05:44tragedy, it's criminal negligence.
05:46And many say this is murder.
05:48Something like this should never happen at all.
05:49And finally, we get you the dramatic escalation in West Asia conflict.
05:55U.S. President Donald Trump now says there is a possibility of him meeting Iran's supreme leader, Mustafa Khamenei.
06:02Now, U.S. forces and Israeli forces first neutralized his father, late Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
06:09And now they say they want to meet Mustafa Khamenei, who, according to the American president, is playing a very
06:14active role in peace negotiations with the United States of America.
06:18But on ground, the situation is deteriorating and rather rapidly.
06:22Iran has now fired a series of missiles in the direction initially of Kuwait and now even Bahrain, targeting U
06:28.S. assets,
06:29claiming that the attacks are in response to Washington, D.C.'s strikes on the Qashem Island facilities.
06:36Kuwait has suffered significant damage to its airport.
06:40And sadly, one person lost his life in Kuwait.
06:42Tehran has also warned Gulf nations against hosting U.S. military bases or permitting their territory to be used for
06:49attacks against Iran.
06:50And we'll get you much more on that story.
06:51But first, our top story is on Mamata Banerjee and the split in the Trinmul Congress.
06:57For years, since its inception, ever since she became the chief minister for the first time in 2011,
07:05and won elections twice after that, Mamata Banerjee appeared politically invincible in West Bengal.
07:12Today, she faces perhaps the biggest challenge of her political career yet.
07:17And this isn't from the BJP.
07:18It's not from the left parties and not even from the Congress party.
07:22This is a challenge from within her party and her own elected MLAs.
07:27Because in this dramatic escalation, in this Trinmul Congress crisis,
07:31the rebel camp led by Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandeepan Saha claimed they had the support of 58 plus 2.
07:36That's 60 MLAs.
07:38And they submitted a letter to the speaker carrying 58 signatures.
07:42Two more are expected to sign in a couple of days.
07:45Ritabrata Banerjee has been given the keys to the room of the leader of opposition in the Assembly premises.
07:50But why is this number 58 and 58 plus 2 so significant?
07:55The numbers that are required for a two-thirds majority to split or to form a separate party,
08:04or will they merge with some other party?
08:07Clearly not.
08:08Not as of now.
08:09That number is 53.
08:11That's the two-third mark required to escape disqualification under anti-defection law.
08:15Ritabrata Banerjee has been recognized as leader of opposition.
08:19Rebel camp has sent a clear message to Mamata Banerjee.
08:22You are now an advisor.
08:24Guide the party.
08:26Be a mentor.
08:27Be the advisor.
08:28Or risk losing the party.
08:30Much of the rebel's anger is directed not directly at Mamata Banerjee,
08:34but at her nephew and political heir apparent Abhishek Banerjee,
08:38who is now also facing heat from the enforcement directorate.
08:40They have summoned him on the 15th of June for questioning.
08:43So the ball, is it very firmly in Mamata Banerjee's court?
08:47Will she stand by Bhipo and Rizk and Uddhav Thakresh Sharadpawar style split in the party?
08:54Or will she actually fight back?
08:57Because she's not the one who's seen as someone who may give up.
09:00Our Bengal Bureau brings you our top story.
09:07Maharashtra politics was rewritten by the rebellions led by Eknat Shinde and Ajit Pawar in 2022 and 2023 respectively.
09:18A similar political tremor appears to be shaking West Bengal now.
09:25Many believed Ritavrata Banerjee was no Shinde or Pawar.
09:29They said he is not even a mass leader.
09:32Not a heavyweight capable of mobilizing legislators against Mamata Banerjee.
09:36But in a dramatic turn, the first time TMC MLA has emerged as the face of a rebellion
09:42that has the backing of 60 legislators.
09:45And that rebellion has now elevated him to the position of leader of opposition in Bengal.
10:09And that's why the government is in the position of leader of opposition in Bengal.
10:20The revolt is no longer a question. The only question now is where it leads.
10:28Rebel MLA's Ritav Rata Bainerji and Sandeepan Shah have reaffirmed their faith in Mamata Bainerji by naming her as the
10:35party's leader.
10:50The arithmetic is significant. After the election results, the TMC's strength in assembly stood at 80.
10:57With the support of 60 legislators, the rebel camp has easily crossed the crucial two-thirds mark required under the
11:04anti-defection law.
11:05That threshold could become critical if the stand-off escalates into a formal split.
11:10It would potentially allow the rebel faction to stake claim to the party's name and symbol.
11:17But the question here is not about a TMC split.
11:20The rebels are not planning to float a new political party.
11:24Unlike the Shiv Sena or NCP rebellions, this revolt is not rooted in ideology.
11:33Nor is it driven by competing centres of mass support.
11:37Instead, it is fuelled by growing resentment against one man.
11:41Mamata Bainerji's nephew and MP, Abhishek Bainerji.
11:46Hrithubrata Bainerji has repeatedly accused Abhishek of running the party like a corporate entity rather than a mass movement.
11:56For many disgruntled leaders, the anger is directed less at Didi and more at Baipu.
12:02The signs of unrest are becoming increasingly visible.
12:10Even Farhad Hakeem has resigned from the post of Kolkata's mayor.
12:17Earlier in the day, many TMC MLAs from the Mamata camp attended a meeting convened by Chief Minister Sovendu Adhikari.
12:25The BJP says it anticipated trouble within the Trinamol, just not so soon.
12:57The Mamata camp, meanwhile, is pushing back to the Trinamol.
13:01Party leaders insist that Mamata Bainerji remains the unquestioned face of the Trinamol Congress.
13:19And as the political storm intensifies, legal troubles are adding to the pressure.
13:25The enforcement directorate has visited Abhishek Bainerji's residence to serve summons in the teachers' recruitment camp.
13:36For Mamata Bainerji, the dilemma is stuck.
13:39Stand by family ties or back the legislators she has groomed over the years.
13:44With Indrajeet Kundu and Tapas Sen Gupta and Anupam Mishra, Bureau Report, India Today.
13:55Ritwabrata Bainerji, speaking to journalists just a short while back, he said, and I quote,
13:59This two-third strong legislative team of the Trinamol Congress inside the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly does not believe
14:08in I, it believes in we.
14:11Whatever norms are framed out, we've followed every norm and that's why we've been accepted as the principal opposition in
14:19the 18th West Bengal Legislative Assembly.
14:22We want Mamata Bainerji to be our chief advisor, to give us advice that will help us strengthening our position
14:30as the opposition.
14:3280 members were elected by the Trinamol Congress symbol.
14:35More than two-thirds of them have given our claim and the claim has been accepted, unquote.
14:43And this brings me to our question of the day.
14:45Has Mamata Bainerji lost control of her party leaders in the Assembly?
14:49Is the Trinamol Congress now split wide open?
14:52Can she recover from this loss?
14:55And will she have to choose either the party or her nephew?
15:01Now, we have the finest voices joining us on the subject in a little while.
15:05But I quickly want to cut across to Reju Datta, expelled TMC member who joins us on the show.
15:12Reju Datta, welcome.
15:14Decode what Ritabrata Bainerji means when he says Mamata Bainerji is our leader and mentor and our advisor.
15:23Both Ritabrata Bainerji and Sandeepan Saha were expelled.
15:25If Mamata Bainerji is still their leader, should they not be accepting her choice as leader of opposition, sir?
15:32No, but good evening, Gaurav.
15:35See, I want to say this very clearly.
15:37There is no issue with Mamata Bainerji.
15:39Mamata Bainerji started Trinamol Congress and whether it is Kakoli Ghosh Dostidhar or Ritabrata Bainerji or Reju Datta,
15:46we have all done this party because of her, because we consider her as our leader.
15:51And all the legislators, they have won because they fought on a ticket on which it said Mamata Bainerji.
15:59Let's be very honest and real about it.
16:01But all this confusion started when winning legislators' signatures were forged
16:07and a letter was shot by Mr. Abhishek Bainerji to the speaker of Vidhan Sabha.
16:12And our CID investigation is ongoing now.
16:17So, bottom line is this, rather than cutting across all the technicalities,
16:23there has been severe dissent against Mr. Abhishek Bainerji within the party.
16:29Whether it is the MPs, whether it is the MLAs, whether it is organizational heads of the party,
16:34the way the party was run in the last three, four years,
16:37the way people were insulted, the way democracy was not there in the party,
16:41the way people were dealt with a high-handedness that it is my way or the high way,
16:47so now when there was a threat culture within the party,
16:52so now when the peer factor is not there because the party is no longer in power,
16:57whether it is the MPs, whether it is the MLAs or whether it is somebody like me,
17:01everybody has been telling the truth and I was the first whistleblower.
17:05I faced the most severe rebuke and backlash from the Trinomal Congress.
17:10The IT cell was targeting me and they were reporting all my social media platforms so that it gets deleted.
17:18I have faced their abuse, my family has faced their abuse,
17:21but today, Gaurav, I stand vindicated because I was the first one to say what actuality it was
17:26and now every MP, every MLA is saying the same thing.
17:30And before you come in, Gaurav, I just want to say this very clearly on record,
17:34that these rebel MLAs consider Mahmouda Banerjee as their leader.
17:37I consider Mahmouda Banerjee as my leader.
17:40But you consider her the leader, will you listen to her advice?
17:43If her advice is, you know,
17:45Shohandeb Chattopadhyay should be leader of opposition,
17:49when Shohandeb Chattopadhyay was made the leader of opposition,
17:53no rules were followed.
17:55Rules were flaunted and in typical Mr. Abhishek Banerjee style,
17:58the Yuvraj style,
18:00a letter was shot without consulting with anyone in the party,
18:03but these things are not going to float anymore.
18:06Abhishek Banerjee is not a part of the 18th Vidhan Sabha Assembly.
18:09The Trinomal Party has tweeted that it has dissolved all its frontal organizations
18:14and the post.
18:15So as a result of that tweet,
18:16Abhishek Banerjee is no longer the National General Secretary of the party as well.
18:20He is the parliamentary party leader in the Lok Sabha.
18:23But I am going to say this on record, Gaurav,
18:25that whatever you are seeing unfolding in front of your eyes,
18:29it is just Dhurandar part one.
18:31Dhurandar part one is Bengal Vidhan Sabha,
18:33Dhurandar part one is the Parliament of India, part two.
18:36That's the point I was coming to.
18:37That is that bigger challenge, you know,
18:39you talk about Dhurandar part one and Dhurandar part two.
18:43This is the trailer.
18:45Is Mahmata Banerjee going to face an uphill task in saving that parliamentary party?
18:50Is there, are you saying that there's a split in the works even there?
18:55I will not go by saying split or this or that,
18:59but I am going to say this,
19:00that there are multiple people who have done pencil bookings with the BJP.
19:04It is just that BJP has not opened the doors.
19:06But the bottom line is this,
19:09that Mohammed Abenerjee is an extremely stalwart politician.
19:12We all respect her.
19:13But now she has to take some hard decisions.
19:16She has to take some hard decisions.
19:17She has to correct the wrongs that were made over the last at least three, four years.
19:23How IPAC was selling the party, selling party tickets.
19:26Why people were insulted day in, day out.
19:29All this she has to do.
19:30And as a result, when the supreme leader who is respected by all in Bengal,
19:34when she has hit the streets,
19:35out of 42 MPs and 80 MLAs,
19:38only 7 MLAs and 4 MPs were present there.
19:41I think that was a trailer of, like you say, of things to come.
19:47So it is on her.
19:48The onus is on her.
19:49It is her party.
19:51Everyone, whether it is me, Rijudattar,
19:52whether it is the rebel legislators,
19:54everybody respects her.
19:56But it is her who has to take a call of how to run the party,
19:59what she is going to do next.
20:01But the bottom line is very clear.
20:04Nobody, nobody, as far as I understand,
20:07nobody, whether they are the legislators or they are the MPs,
20:10they are going to take the high-handedness
20:12or the order mentality of the self-declared crown prince in the party.
20:17No, so will Mamata Banerjee choose the self-declared crown prince,
20:21as you put it,
20:22or will she choose the party?
20:24Does she even have an option?
20:25Because what does it mean that she'll be the chief advisor or mentor of the party?
20:30Basically, you're saying she'll be the equivalent of BJP's,
20:32Marg Darshak Mandel.
20:34What the Marg Darshak Mandel in BJP is,
20:37she would be in TMC or the Naya TMC or the Asli TMC.
20:40Is that what you're saying, sir?
20:42I think there is no Naya TMC, Asli TMC,
20:45because what everybody was thinking that there will be a new faction in the TMC and there.
20:51So, see, there is a slight, this is the Shif Sena Maharashtra model,
20:54but there is a slight difference.
20:55The split in Shif Sena happened because somebody wanted to form the government.
21:00Here, there is no need to form the government.
21:02Here, the rebel legislators, even in their press conference,
21:05the new leader of opposition of the Bengal Legislative Assembly,
21:08Mr. Rito Broto Bandobad,
21:09they clearly said that we want Mahmouda Banerjee as the advisor
21:12and our leader is Mahmouda Banerjee.
21:14It is not just me saying that,
21:16and the chief whip, Mr. Akhru Zawan,
21:17also said that in the press conference.
21:19So, the onus is on the chairperson of the party,
21:22the onus is on the founder of the party
21:25to decide what to do.
21:27But, her as the chief advisor,
21:31in the words of the bard of A1,
21:34it's an unkind cut.
21:36It indeed is for someone who formed the party
21:39to now just be sent as the Mark Darshak mandal.
21:42But tell me this, 58 signatures done,
21:46two more expected to join.
21:47So, that's 60 of 80.
21:49There are some insiders who seem to indicate
21:52that others could also join.
21:54So, are we to believe that only those six or seven or eight
21:57who stayed with Mahmouda Banerjee at her protest,
22:00Dharna, will be the only ones who will remain with her?
22:03See, obviously, there are party loyalists
22:05who are loyal to Mahmouda Banerjee,
22:06who have fought with Mahmouda Banerjee
22:09when she was fighting against the left regime.
22:12So, there will be some people, obviously,
22:14who will not come to this new fold.
22:16But I believe the situation is such
22:19that in the days to come,
22:21this 60 number is going to go up.
22:23It's going to go up.
22:25The 60 number will also go up.
22:28Riju Datta, for joining me here
22:30on this India Today special broadcast,
22:32many thanks.
22:33I have more breaking news coming in
22:35from the Trimul Congress
22:37because clearly, like we said,
22:38Mamata Banerjee will not give up without a fight.
22:40Sources in the Mamata Banerjee camp
22:42are telling India Today
22:43that Mamata Banerjee is now exploring
22:45the legal route over this Ritobrata.
22:48Banerjee being made leader of opposition
22:50in the West Bengal Assembly.
22:51The Mamata Banerjee camp is actually awaiting a formal response
22:55from the Assembly Speaker over their letter
22:59nominating Shomandev Chattopadhyay as the leader of the Trimul Congress
23:03and leader of opposition.
23:05They want to know why he wasn't given the key to the room of the leader of opposition
23:09and why was it given to Ritobrata Banerjee.
23:13Mamata camp, they've reacted to this matter.
23:16Senior TMC MLA and leader Madan Mitra
23:19who continues to back both Didi and Bhaipur.
23:22So, you know, because he says there's no difference
23:24and there's no split within the family or the party
23:29or the loyalists in the party.
23:31He's questioned how a leader expelled from the Trimul Congress
23:34can stake claim to the post of leader of opposition
23:37and the speaker give it and be given that
23:41calling the rebel camps move illegal, legally untenable.
23:46This close aide of Mamata Banerjee also accused the group
23:49of acting at the behest of the Bharatiya Janata Party
23:52in an attempt to weaken the opposition,
23:54to weaken the Trimul Congress from within.
23:57Listen in.
24:01It's a very significant day in political history of West Bengal
24:05because your party was in power for 15 years
24:08and look what has happened.
24:09Two-third of your MLAs have now formed a separate block within the party.
24:13What happened in the meeting?
24:15What did you tell Mamata Banerjee?
24:17The very important thing that has been ignored
24:22by the media and everybody
24:25that some people, they have gone.
24:27But they don't have that guts
24:29to say that we have come out from TMC.
24:35They don't have that guts.
24:38Even they are saying
24:39our chairperson is Mamata Banerjee.
24:42That's what they are saying.
24:43Their leader is Mamata Banerjee.
24:44Right.
24:46So how can an expelled leader
24:52an independent leader
24:54the moment he is expelled,
24:55somebody is expelled from a party
24:57he is independent.
24:58So how can an independent leader
25:00he becomes a leader of the opposition
25:03of a political party
25:04ignoring the highest office.
25:06So the entire process is illegal
25:08and absolutely it is a game
25:14of trade,
25:15horse trading,
25:17it is a game of BJP.
25:20Brito Brito Brito Brito Brito Brito Brito Is being funded
25:21by the BJP?
25:22You are saying?
25:22Absolutely.
25:23It is a BJP concerned game,
25:28but okay law is still there let us see but we will go up to last so you will fight
25:34this legal
25:37positively so what about the party do you think the party will split there are others who can
25:41also do the same i don't think so the party got two two close 30 lakhs so still the vote
25:48bank is there if there is vote tomorrow the party will again come back
25:55so grave charge madan mitra levels on the rita bratha banerji faction or the camp of the
26:02trinambool congress saying that's garbage he'd already been expelled how can he become leader
26:06of opposition uh tausseep ahmad khan is an advocate is a political analyst once close to the trinambool
26:12congress but had to contest as an independent joins us on this broadcast rp is saying is national
26:16spokesperson of the bhartiya janta party mahu achataji is a senior journalist neerja chowdhury
26:21uh one of the most authoritative uh voices uh on on these political developments senior
26:26journalist and columnist joins us on the show and neerja chowdhury is mamata banerji as on date
26:32isolated in her own party even top party leaders um like a like a party vice president javed emad khan
26:40appear to have abandoned her 60 of 80 not with her uh is this truly khela hove next level even
26:48if the
26:48facade is abhishek banerji is the attack directly on her ma'am
26:55uh yes one had expected the tmc to unravel after this kind of a result in west bengal
27:03with the bjp getting a convincing majority but i had not expected it to evaporate so quickly as it is
27:11doing you're right it's following the way of maharashtra with a difference uh now the whole
27:18fight will go into the courts it will go into the speaker's domain and he's already recognized
27:24rati bratha as the leader of the opposition now 60 ml is going there and you're absolutely right
27:31more will go there in the coming days because as far as her protest was concerned there were only
27:37seven mlas who stood by her side and that may be more of a realistic number now uh west bengal
27:45we
27:45know has been known for uh violence whether it was nuxilism during uh congress rule then during uh cpm
27:55left front rule and also during tmc rule that we have seen and now in the last days after the
28:01victory
28:01of bjp we have seen it in the bjp rule also so we are used to violence in west bengal
28:08and also violence
28:09begetting violence that also we are used to though one had hoped that our democracy would be strong
28:15enough and this would not happen this time with the bjp's uh convincing majority but i would say this
28:22and this uh the rebels also have pointed to they have made a distinction between abhishek banerji who's
28:31their target now and there is resentment against him in the party the dissatisfaction against him in
28:38the party and mamtha banerji the founder of the tmc because they realize in the people's perception
28:46and during the campaign something when i was there that i found they would make a distinction between the
28:53acts of commission and omission of tmc and of mamtha banerji so here is mamtha banerji and my
29:00question would be this here is this woman uh who founded the tmc and has ruled bengal for 15 years
29:09who dethroned the left parties of you know entrenched left front of 34 years over three decades yeah at
29:16her protest we saw a fighting spirit that fighting spirit what shape will it take politically
29:27in the weeks and months and years to come that is a question mark to which we don't have an
29:32answer
29:33today since you were also a party insider at one point of time when 60 of 80 mlas have gone
29:39with
29:40rita bratha banerji and not with mamtha banerji is that the writing on the wall uh is there a choice
29:46for
29:46mamtha banerji choose the the mlas or choose her nephew or will she actually fight as neerja chowdhury puts it
29:54fight to take take take control you know take back control of the party no the this uh this divide
30:02you know between the party uh the section not agreeing the leadership of um abhishek banerji is
30:09nothing new it has been there and mamtha banerji had already made the decision that she will stand with
30:15abhishek banerji even today she stands with her nephew and the and the section of the party which has
30:22broken away they also know that mamtha banerji is going to stand with abhishek banerji she's not
30:28going to uh you know come on this side and accept a role with the with the larger part of
30:35the party
30:35so uh the the way as it stands today mamtha banerji as she promised that she will try and rebuild
30:43her
30:43party yes there was a fighting spirit in the in the protest even though the numbers were little
30:48in terms of the mlas there were uh supporters who really supported mamtha banerji on her face value
30:54they were present and a lot of press uh media uh personnel were present whether she can you know
31:01rebuild the party is a very very big question mark because the age is not on her side she's already
31:0672 and it really takes you your the toll on your body you know to to come out in the
31:12streets to hold
31:13meetings to do and especially when you are a a position leader you have to do a lot of protests
31:19out out on the streets whether maundi banerji can do that and it is really really is a is a
31:25big
31:25question mark but so like the way it seems now is that the party is already you know in a
31:32broken
31:33broken in the way that it may it may become extinct it may become extinct you say mahua chate ji
31:38would
31:39you agree with tausif's assessment that the party is broken it may soon be extinct in bengal and has
31:46mamtha banerji taken that conscious call sink or sail it is with nephew abhishek banerji is this that
31:53dhritarashtra moh of mamtha banerji well you see gaurav the game is the that khala hobby that has
32:02started it seems to be going on the the new phase of the game has started so what is happening
32:09now
32:09is definitely the mamtha banerji's trinamool congress is in a complete disarray as of now
32:17but the other thing even if age is not on our side i think mamtha banerji
32:22is somebody who will you know fight till her last breath but that is not the point i mean all
32:27those things nirja just explained very well on this show that you know it the the the weeks to come
32:33the
32:33months to come and the years to come will actually tell us which way this goes which way mamtha goes
32:38what happens to trinamool congress is not important because that was a party created by her the point is
32:44something very interesting which is see last night chief minister subendu adhikari and the speaker the
32:52new speaker they were in delhi and they met with the bjp brasses for two hours and they went back
32:59last
32:59night so i don't know what transpired but it's a kind of ominous that you know all this is unfurling
33:06and
33:06at it's at that time that no it's dhurandhar part two will the party split even in parliament
33:12so my point is so my point is like maharashtra the bjp does not need numbers in the west bengal
33:19assembly to yes to be you see because they already have a two-thirds majority but this is a playout
33:26which is going to finish in parliament which just riju that have mentioned about and yes that is exactly
33:32why i think this is being played out because at the center the bjp government led by prime minister
33:40narendra modi is actually short of a majority so it has two partners uh nda partners so if they
33:50to make their i mean if they cannot depend on any of them at some certain point in time they
33:56will
33:56certainly do well if they can get more mps on in their uh i'll get neerja chaudhary also to respond
34:02to that but rp is saying this is truly khela hobe maharashtra style uh if i may bjp's maharashtra
34:09template first with ncp and late ajit dadapawa then ikhnach and then shiv sena now you're using the
34:15same template in bihar is what tmc says you heard madan mitra just a moment ago split the opposition
34:21so that there is no challenge in future either well i'm a little taken back by the uh analysis
34:27of my uh journalist friend who's saying that it is all because of the numbers in the parliament
34:32is too much of a kite plan but coming to the fact there was currency notes with the uh the
34:37termite
34:37eaten currency note termite eaten currency notes well yes transpired into the party also the parties
34:43also i've made one of the pictures for you let me just show to you here it is no if
34:49india today we
34:50carried that picture okay that's what uh mamtha banerji's party is today because the power gets
34:59you to the power uh is a view for corruption and then since the uh power is gone so is
35:05the uh that
35:07taking money at the toll plazas and and taking money on the road and and cut money and everything is
35:12gone so uh that's the reason the party is falling party is crumbling and also that fear of the avisek
35:20energy among the masses also that has proven in the election and now in the party also when
35:26gradually people have been in the party also understand that that his set won't work now
35:31because of the power he used to certain people certain mls that won't work and that's why
35:36they are walking out now so let me quickly get neerja chowdhury to respond to this ma'am
35:41um you heard reju datta when he said so this is dhurandar part one there is dhurandar part two the
35:46party may split even in in parliament and there were just a handful of party mps with mamtha banerji
35:53throughout do you think there is a dhurandar part two uh or a khela hobay part two waiting to happen
35:58in parliament also i think that is where the attention is bengal has already moved into the bjp's
36:09fold that is a given two-thirds dried and dusted and the bjp didn't have to you know break the
36:19tmc in
36:20the normal course if the bjp is behind it many of the tmc believes the bjp is behind it all
36:26uh but coming days and weeks will tell us a little more on that but certainly all eyes are
36:33on what is going to happen in parliament because i agree with that the bjp has a majority only you
36:40know doesn't have a majority on its own 240 lok sabha seats dependent on allies and that's not a very
36:47comfortable position we are moving into difficult days of economic hardship possibly with the war
36:55in the gulf region showing no signs of ended and quickly even if it ends there are there is there
37:02are implications for the economy back home and something that the government does not have a
37:06control on also but that makes the number the arithmetic in the logs above very important yes
37:14can you make a quick point because again even there would they have to merge it would be a
37:20comfortable position for the bjp so that goes up from what 240 to maybe 250 251 uh they would still
37:28not be close to 272 of how much comfortable would that make it neerja chowdhri quickly before i bring
37:33in rp singh in rp singh i think yeah it will add a little more comfort than there is today
37:41of course
37:42there are allies the allies have not revolted against the ggp at all for the moment i mean there
37:47are no signs of it at all but having numbers on their side does make for comfort in parliament
37:54okay rp singh you want to come in before i bring in tawseef emad khan well simple mathematics that
37:59telly doesn't telly doesn't add up to the uh the idea of uh of neerja chowdhri or our generous friend
38:05and also uh farid hakim farad hakim remember that the most law the most loyalist when the man has
38:12quitted the as a mayor of the kalkata now yes okay so the man who has seen that after this
38:21crushing
38:22electoral defeat tmc leaders were asked to give a standing ovation to abhishek banerji
38:26instead of any introspection uh you two have uh a point in abhishek banerji that he was practically
38:34running the party uh didn't mamtha banerji see all of this or she she was resigned to fate that
38:40he's the heir apparent let him do what he does no it was all being done under the watch of
38:47mamtha
38:48banerji obviously she was aware that party is being run by abhishek banerji and through ipac we
38:54all know the tickets were distributed the files were approved through ipac and then it would come
39:00to kaligat therefore um the the it was actually abhishek banerji was running the party uh even even
39:09you know if i can say you this one of the senior ips officers sitting with him and he said
39:15that the
39:16bureaucracy instead of the secretary of our ministry instead of calling the minister
39:20calls camac street the the pa of abhishek banerji to get the approval and then the file would get
39:25approved so it was it was a situation where any right thinking person would not accept it but but
39:32be that as it may whatever the fact was the people have shown their uh um you know the the
39:38people have
39:38shown which way the bengal should go where if we talk about tirndamul and mamatha banerji
39:43mamatha banerji has one exit route and that is to merge with congress whether she will do that or
39:49not is really her choice if she merges with congress then it will give you know new new oxygen to
39:56mamatha banerji including the the the loyalists who are with her at present and she and she would not
40:03mind you know going it all originated with congress so i have satyapal jain who's just joined us
40:09for a legal position but before i do 30 seconds mahua you see that happen because uh is that the
40:15only way you know doopte ko tinke ka sahara mamatha banerji may merge her party with the congress to save
40:24whatever remains of her party including party funds there could be a big fight over party office
40:29party funds if she merges the party then she lives to fight another day well after the left you know
40:36actually she is the one who demolished the congress congress party from where she came out of so it's
40:41not something which is implausible but i don't see it happening right away i mean like i said she doesn't
40:50give in without a fight so i don't know whether that but that is a logical way to go maybe
40:56but
40:57that would probably take some time but before that does she have a couple of aces up her sleeve
41:02because there's a there's a big big fight that's going to happen uh you know will the party split in
41:08parliament that's the big story we'll be watching out for i want to thank all my guests uh i and
41:13i want to
41:14quickly bring into this conversation satyapal jain additional solicitor general uh of india um senior
41:20advocate someone who's giving us a legal position because the thirmul congress now wants to challenge
41:25the speaker's decision to appoint rita pratha banerji as leader of opposition in court
41:31sir welcome mamtha camp is saying how can an expelled tmc mla stake claim to be leader of opposition
41:38let alone be made lop by the speaker legally is the tmc on a strong footing or a weak footing
41:46in your
41:46view in my view the action of the speaker is perfectly within the legal limits speaker at the moment is
41:55acting as the administrative head of the assembly it is he who has to recognize the leader of the
42:00opposition and when 60 mlas or 55 60 overwhelming majority goes to him and gives him in writing
42:07that mr so-and-so is our leader therefore he should be recognized as the leader of the opposition
42:13it is within his jurisdiction legal limits constitutional limits because leader is decided by the majority
42:19it's not a case where these mlas say that we have left the tmc it is not these mlas okay
42:25we have
42:26removed somebody they have elected a leader with majority and they have every right to do so let's
42:31not forget one thing speaker has dual jurisdiction one is yes when he sits as a tribunal under the
42:37anti-defection law some petition comes to him then he has to decide that petition as per law as per
42:43the
42:43anti-defection law but as a speaker even if somebody goes to him and says i have left tmc i
42:50have joined bjp
42:51even if it is in violation of the anti-defection law on the administrative side he's bound to give
42:56him a seat with the bjp members so whatever speaker has done it is right and secondly let's not forget
43:02democracy is run by the majority the majority of the mlas elect a leader whether it's a split in
43:09the party or not whether it is a defection issue or not that are the all issues which both sides
43:14will
43:14be fighting in the courts but in my view as a lawyer purely from the legal point of view the
43:20decision of
43:20the speaker is perfectly valid and they have every right to elect a leader nobody can impose a leader
43:26on them that's a significant point you make that the speaker is well within his rights to appoint a
43:31leader of opposition but when i don't recognize him recognize him yeah they have elected him the leader
43:38and since they are 60 they fall within the limit of more than 10 percent so speaker is perfectly right
43:44in recognizing him as the leader of the opposition and he is not appointing him yes he is claiming the
43:53support of nearly three-fourths of the legislature party will that will that prevail constitutionally
44:01uh even in courts of law the formal name nomination is to be made by the party leadership or the
44:07or does it
44:08go by demonstrated majority within the legislative party party may suggest a person but so far as the
44:15law is concerned the leader of the house or the leader of the opposition is elected by the mlas you
44:20have seen in karnataka you have seen in west mngol where the bjp won with the overwhelming majority
44:26still it is the mlas who meet they elect the leader and it is only then the cm goes to
44:32the governor to
44:33stake his claim to form the government and the government is formed so basically it is the majority
44:38which matters maybe in the ruling maybe in the opposition so in this case overwhelming majority
44:43has elected a new leader which has been constitutionally legally validly recognized by the speaker
44:49okay but sir a senior lawyer and tmc leader kalyan banerji if you read his letter to the speaker
44:55he argues that for decades the speaker has merely recognized the leader of opposition nominated by
45:02the party leadership and he cited multiple examples of 2001 2006 2011 2016 and 2021 given that bjp
45:13nominated in 2021 nominated shuwendu adhikari can a long-standing convention in the assembly override a
45:21situation where majority of the party mlas may be backing somebody not on the letterhead of the party
45:28look so far as the earlier conventions are concerned if there is no dispute there is only one person
45:35who says i am the leader of the opposition others accept him then there is no problem but if overwhelming
45:40majority says that not he not b but mr a is our leader and he has the sport of two
45:46-third mlas so my mind
45:48as a lawyer the speaker is perfectly justified in recognizing you imagine a state suppose out of 200
45:55105 mlas goes and say we have been elected as the leader of the majority party governor should invite
46:02us to form the government can he say no no no i will not invite the leader of the majority
46:06party but i
46:07will appoint a person of my own no he is bound the look the speaker also governor also to accept
46:14the leader
46:14of the majority party may be opposition may be ruling log tantra may in the democracy it is the majority
46:21that matters and not the majority that matters and not the not the authoritarian or dictatorial attitude
46:26that's a very important point to make in a democracy it's the people there's the numbers that decide
46:32not the letterhead or an authority but tell me this uh the letter uh also claims that the speaker had
46:38already uh according to the trimul congress effectively recognized shovandev chattopadya's leader of
46:44opposition on the floor of the house during the speaker's welcome ceremony had that recognition
46:50already taken place sir as this letter argues can the speaker then subsequently say no no no it wasn't
46:56mr chattopadya it was rita bratha banerji uh and does this not then violate a parliamentary practice that
47:02so that's in place sir see speaker has to take a decision at the spur of the moment according the
47:09facts
47:09which are brought to his notice i would like to give an example in 1966 when congress split mrs jendra
47:16gandhi supplied the congress party it was a section of the opposition congress ms led by dr ram sabhat singh
47:23who went to the opposition at that time anti-directional law was not there so it was dr ram sabhat
47:28singh
47:29who was having the maximum number of opposition mps immediately by the speaker he was recognized as the
47:34leader of the opposition and somebody commented that it is the ruling party which has
47:39ultimately led to the appointment of the leader of the opposition see speaker cannot say that since
47:46once i have recognized the person if he is not having the majority majority comes and said no not a
47:52but b is our leader speaker is bound to accept that request if he doesn't do it he will be
47:58violating the
47:59constitution now before i let you go i also want to take one more question uh will this can this
48:06also
48:07lead to a struggle uh right now even the rebel factions say mamata banerji is their leader but we
48:13could it uh come to a situation where it could lead to a fight for control of party office party
48:18funds
48:18party symbol um or lead to a split of the party at at the parliament level and then end up
48:25in courts of
48:25law see so far as the courts of law are concerned all these matters ultimately are taken to courts by
48:31one
48:31faction or the other but so far as the move by the mlas who have elected a new leader is
48:37concerned
48:38it is a very politically mature move they do not say that they have left the tmc they do not
48:43say that
48:43they have removed mamata banerji they do not say that they have no faith in mamata banerji so therefore
48:49what they are claiming at the moment is that within the tmc they enjoy the majority sport and i said
48:55earlier
48:55speaker governor courts are bound to accept the leader of the majority party as the leader fair
49:02enough i will let that be the last word on this part of the show mr satypal jain for joining
49:06me here
49:06on this india first special broadcast many thanks thank you i now want to shift focus to a very
49:12disturbing story that's coming from the heart of the national capital a fire that claimed 21 lives some
49:19foreigners were also sadly killed in an early morning fire at a hotel now this was supposed to be
49:25a bnb a bread and bed and breakfast sanctioned were only six rooms unfortunately in plain sight there
49:35were more than 25 rooms that had been carved out of those six rooms a devastating fire in south delhi's
49:41malvia nagar it's exposed a deadly pattern rules are broken with impunity authorities
49:49authorities that are meant to keep an eye they turn a blind eye and big question is why violations
49:55are overlooked and action comes only after tragedy strikes and in this case sadly 21 people have lost
50:03their lives there are many who are still battling for their lives in different hospitals they're very
50:09critical we get you more in this report
50:20another day another disaster another deadly reminder of a system that wakes up only after lives are lost
50:28this time a massive fire ripped through a restaurant come hotel in malva nagar in delhi
50:33turning a place of shelter into a death trap
50:38logon ko jump karne ke liya amne niche gaddev agar hai bichai
50:41to logon niche jump bhi kiya joh safe hain
50:43or bhi safe logon ko nikala hai aur kuch log casualties hain
50:47third floor se tien nigerian
50:494 nigerian kudethe joh upar sa kud ke jinnon hain apne ji jana bachai thi
50:54toh jamb tak uske baad in loogho nne shatter kata fire ki team hai hai gate shatter kata hai
50:59here hapa smell arhi thi here hapa here hapa here hapa smell arhi thi bhoot zhaada
51:03toh hume laga ki kya hai phir hume laga shayad aysi phir sparking honne lagi
51:06hapa uske baas hai hapa loog unko phone karete fire brigade wala ko
51:10what about regular checks and renewal of licenses how was that allowed there were so
51:20many irregularities that have been reported here this was not an accident this was criminal negligence
51:28on the part of not just the authorities but also of course the people who are running this airbnb
51:35flames shot out of windows thick black smoke swallowed the building
51:41desperate guests trapped inside made difficult choices to escape by jumping out of the window
51:58outside sparks flew from live wires as panic gripped the narrow lanes of hausrani
52:04sub rescue operation chal raha tha or jabhi isi imarat se loog neechai ki taraf kood rahe
52:10thai sthaniya looghone yeh moota gadda neechai ki taraf rakha jis se joh hotel se loog agar kood
52:17toh unko jyada chot na hai fire fighters rushed to the spot and rescued people from the basement as well
52:24the victims who were mostly foreign nationals were taken to the nearby max hospital
52:48and now disturbing questions and glaring lapses are emerging sources say the establishment was
52:55licensed for just six rooms under the rally government's bed and breakfast key yet nearly
53:0025 rooms were allegedly being operated including rooms in the basement no fire in a sea only one
53:07entry and exit point a building packed with guests the shock doesn't end there in another nearby hotel
53:15investigators have reportedly found similar violations more rooms than permitted exposed
53:20electrical wiring and inadequate escape rooms
53:44the government seems to have finally woken up
53:48so
53:49jaan pey building by last ka olangan ho raha hai jaan haan haan haan haan haan haan haan haan haan
54:16the tragedy has triggered a political slugfest with the armadmi party accusing the delhi government of
54:22failing to curb recurring fire incidents in the capital
54:43after three major disasters in five days
54:47the collapse of a building in murali on the 30th of may
54:53the fire in a building in mukhaji nagar on the 31st of may
54:58and now the deadly blaze in malvian nagar
55:01the investigation is underway but as delhi counts its dread once again one question refuses to go away
55:07how many more lies will be lost before safety rules stop being treated as mere paperwork
55:13with arvind hoja jitendra bahadur and sushant mehra in delhi bureau report india today
55:24i'd covered the upahar tragedy in 1997 and sadly we don't seem to learn any lessons in our country
55:33this too will go in quotes for years and years and years sadly will there be a change we'll be
55:39tracking that story very closely but i quickly want to shift focus to the rapidly escalating situation in west asia
55:44u.s president donald trump has made it made a huge claim he said iran has agreed not to pursue
55:50a nuclear program and that its supreme
55:53leader mustafa khamenei is now directly involved in negotiations with washington dc
55:57donald trump has said he would probably meet ayatollah khamenei in future if talks continue
56:06in the right direction and they move forward but even as the u.s president insists that negotiations
56:11are moving forward in a positive manner the situation on ground actually tells a very different story
56:16iran launched a series of missile and drone attacks both towards kuwait and bahrain saying
56:21attacks were in retaliation of recent u.s strikes on the kesham island and actions near the strait of
56:27humus in kuwait iranian strikes hit kuwait's international airport causing significant damage
56:32to terminal one killing at least one indian national and injuring dozens others the kuwait defense
56:39ministry says it dealt with 13 ballistic missiles and 17 drone attacks from iran most of them they
56:46say were intercepted neutralized in the air but one hit the ministry of external affairs has condemned
56:52the latest escalation and the death of an indian national calling upon all parties to seize such
56:57attacks tehran has also claimed that they've targeted facilities linked to the u.s armed forces
57:03operations in kuwait and in bahrain including positions associated with the u.s navy's fifth
57:09fleet that's a story we'll be tracking very closely but that is all i have for you on this india
57:14today
57:14special broadcast many thanks for watching news and updates continue on india today
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