00:00Top story coming in from Bengal. Is trouble mounting for Mamata Banerjee? Is the clock ticking for a three-time
00:06Chief Minister with her defeat now?
00:09This time in this Assembly election, we've seen one after another. MLAs appear to be moving away and the Members
00:15of Parliament could also be doing the same.
00:17You heard it right. Members of Parliament could follow suit like the Members of Legislative Assembly are doing.
00:23We are told, according to our sources, 23 TMC Lok Sabha MPs are in contact with the rebel TMC faction.
00:31There could be a split among the MPs as early as next week. That is expected.
00:36So remember that there have been MLAs and with Ritabrad Banerjee becoming the leader of opposition in the Bengal Assembly
00:41saying,
00:42I have the majority number MLAs with me. We are still TMC.
00:47So it's not that they are joining any other party or forming a new party.
00:50They are still with the TMC. But the question is, is Mamata Banerjee their leader?
00:56I want to bring in Anupam Mishra for the latest on that.
00:58Anupam, this could be huge because Members of Parliament, if they start to show rebellion,
01:04I wonder what happens then to Mamata Banerjee's existence as the leader.
01:09It could be a huge crisis.
01:11What are you hearing? Are really some MPs going to follow suit? Have any names come up?
01:17Well, it's a big news coming from the rebel camp of TMC that out of 28 TMC member of parliaments,
01:2623 MPs are in touch with the rebel camp.
01:30And soon, maybe next week on Tuesday, on Wednesday, some of the names will also come
01:36and they may join the rebel camp also.
01:39This is what we have been told by the few very influential leaders of rebel camp.
01:45They are in constant touch with these MPs and some of these MPs are in Delhi.
01:49That is what we have been told.
01:51So it's a big challenge for Mamata Banerjee.
01:54After 60 MLAs have rebelled now out of 28 TMC MPs,
02:03if 23 TMC MPs are in touch with the rebel camp,
02:07then it's a big challenge for Mamata Banerjee.
02:09And that is why Mamata Banerjee is doing a meeting at Kalighat,
02:13at her residence from 4 p.m. today,
02:16to discuss the strategy and what to do, what to do the next,
02:20whether she will go to court for these rebel TMC MLAs,
02:26whether she will accept their proposal as their leader and she will guide them.
02:32So these are the things which will be discussed in the meeting.
02:34But it's a big challenge for Mamata Banerjee if this news,
02:37what we are getting from the rebel suits is correct.
02:41Anupam, I just want to understand with clarity,
02:43has there been any statement that has come in from Mamata Banerjee or Abhishek Banerjee,
02:47at least since the MLAs have started to show this rebellion and MPs could follow?
02:52Well, you know, publicly Mamata Banerjee had held a protest at 2nd of June at Dhanthala area.
03:01And there she spoke very quietly about these things,
03:06but not very outspoken about these things.
03:09But after these happenings, Mamata Banerjee didn't speak specifically about this thing.
03:16And so it's very clear that Mamata Banerjee and Abhishek Banerjee both are meeting more or less every day
03:22to discuss what to do next, to discuss the strategy.
03:26But they are not exactly opening their cards at present.
03:30And they must be also trying to figure out who is a loyalist anymore in the TMC,
03:35who they can bank upon to act as a mediator,
03:38when it appears some of them are already starting to,
03:41if not defect, so to say, but already managing a split.
03:44Appreciate you joining us, Anupam.
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