TMC grapples with rising number of rebels

As a split in Trinamool Congress engineered by Mukul Roy seems almost certain, the rebel voices inside the party has started surfacing leading to the speculation on how many would follow Roy to break away from Mamata Banerjee's party. "TMC has 191 MLAs. If 50 of them quits the government will fall minority. Wait till March- April, things are moving ahead to that direction. Would Mamata Banerjee be able to continue till 2016 as Chief Minister? I have doubts," TMC leader from Murshidabad district and former minister Mamata Banerjee-government Humayun Kabir said. Kabir, who was suspended today by TMC for such comments, went ahead to hint a handful of MLAs from Murshidabad, Nadia and Hooghly districts would go with Mukul Roy, without divulging any names.

But, that was enough to raise alarm and prompt TMC to clip wings of known Mukul Roy-loyalists in the party. Trinamool Congress has removed party MLA Silbhadra Dutta, considered a close aide of party leader Mukul Roy, from the post of parliamentary secretary in charge of food and horticulture.

Incidentally, Dutta is in Delhi where Mukul Roy has been spending most of his time these days. Recently, Mukul Roy's son and TMC MLA Subhrangshu Roy, and TMC MLA from Haldia Siuli Saha too have flown in to Delhi apparenlty to attend some meeting with Mukul Roy. When this has left TMC leadership guessing on Mukul Roy's next move, till recently the undisputed number two the party, voices of dissent seems to be on the rise. In a huge embarrassment to the ruling party, TMC MLA Swapan Kanti Ghosh staged a sit-in demonstration outside the the West Bengal assembly alleging corruption by TMC-run municiipality at Siuri, Birbhum. He too was suspended by the party, and immediately Ghosh made his intentions clear when responding to a question on joining BJP, he said, "Everything is a possibility for me. Who knew Mukul Roy would no longer be a number two in the party. I came from Congress to join TMC on Mukul Roy's insistence."

Mukul Roy, around whom all the speculation are doing rounds, has decided to remain silent. But, former railway minister Mukul Roy welcomed today's railway budget while TMC officially criticised the budget.

"Why should we derail our campaign against the Trinamool? We are fighting against scamsters. Why should we induct anyone being investigated in the Saradha scam?" said Sidharth Nath Singh, BJP national secretary in charge of Bengal. But sources say, BJP top leadership is in touch with Mukul Roy. Sidharth Nath Singh may publicly suggest that Mukul Roy is a libality for BJP, but if Roy could actually bring along a substantial numbers of TMC leaders with him, the saffron party may soon find an asset in Roy.