SHILLONG, June 16: Amid the Trinamool Congress’ struggle for survival in West Bengal, the Meghalaya unit has been left to fend for itself with no clarity on the political future of its five MLAs — Mukul M. Sangma, Charles Pyngrope, Miani D. Shira, Rupa M. Marak, and Mizanur Rahman Kazi.
While the state unit remains hopeful that the party’s central leadership will pull its act together and chart the future course of action, the scale of the political crisis being faced by the Mamata Banerjee-led party is unprecedented and unlikely to be resolved any time soon.
A total of 20 out of the party’s 28 Lok Sabha members have rebelled, seeking recognition as a separate group while merging with the unheralded NCPI and extending support to the BJP-led NDA.
At least 58 of the 80 TMC legislators in West Bengal have also revolted, moving to claim the official party name and the “twin flowers” symbol.
TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee has been exploring a potential strategic alliance or merger with the Indian National Congress to survive the political fallout.
Despite the mounting crisis in West Bengal, state TMC president Charles Pyngrope asserted that all five MLAs remain loyal to the parent party and that no decision has been made regarding any possible political rejig.
According to Pyngrope, any decision by the parent party, including a possible merger with another political formation, would have to be discussed with the Meghalaya unit and its five MLAs before a decision is finalised.
He said the Meghalaya leadership would consult its MLAs if such a situation arises and would collectively decide on the way forward. The future course of the state unit, he reiterated, would depend on decisions of the party’s national leadership as well as discussions within the Meghalaya TMC.
Commenting on reports of a possible split within the TMC in West Bengal, Pyngrope said any move by the elected representatives would have to comply with the provisions of the Anti-Defection Law.
He argued that legislators who fulfil the constitutional requirement for merger with another political party cannot simultaneously claim ownership of the original party and its election symbol.
Pyngrope maintained that legislators who merge with another party cease to be part of the original organisation and, therefore, cannot continue to claim its identity. He said the law permits mergers under specific conditions but does not allow a breakaway group to take over the party while aligning itself with another political formation.
Drawing a parallel in Meghalaya’s political history, he referred to the November 2021 merger of 12 Congress MLAs with the TMC, noting that those legislators could not function as Congress members after joining another party.
For now, the Meghalaya TMC is adopting a wait-and-watch approach and will closely monitor developments before taking any decision, Pyngrope concluded.
