Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Shatrughan Sinha said on Thursday that he will continue to stand with party chief Mamata Banerjee, even as several senior leaders and lawmakers resigned from the party and rebelled against the party leadership. Sinha, a Lok Sabha member from the Asansol constituency, said he will continue working for those who have elected him.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Sinha said Banerjee was the only person who stood by her after he lost the Patna Sahib Lok Sabha constituency in the 2019 parliamentary election. The TMC leader said claims have been made that he signed the rebel MPs list, but all of them are false.
"When I was going through a tough time around 2019, Mamata Banerjee was the only leader who supported me," the actor-turned-politician said. "She made me a candidate from Asansol and helped me get elected (to the Lok Sabha). A lot is being said about me, it is being said that I have joined the rebels but if telling the truth is rebellion, then I am a rebel."
"Mamata Banerjee helped me when I needed support and I cannot leave her side when she needs support. It is my duty to support Mamata Banerjee and the TMC. Several people have joined the rebel, they are my friends as well... I thank all those, including from the BJP, who invited me to join them, but I will be with Mamata Banerjee," Sinha added.
The clarification from Sinha, a former union minister, comes after several reports claimed that he was among the 20 Trinamool MPs who had signed a rebel legislators' letter. But sources earlier told India TV that the reports were false and Sinha is not even in Delhi, as the crisis continues within the TMC.
Sinha's clarification is a relief for Banerjee, though, as most of the party's 28 Lok Sabha members have openly rebelled against her. The party is also facing a rebel in the Rajya Sabha where three members have resigned, with Prakash Chik Baraik being the latest one, citing party's performance in the recently held assembly elections in West Bengal.
Similarly, there is also a rebel at the West Bengal Assembly, where Ritabrata Banerjee has been declared the House's Leader of Opposition (LoP), with the expelled leader claiming that he has support of 64 legislators. As TMC stares at a split, Banerjee is trying to garner support for her party but as of now, the situation only looks tough for her, as most of the senior leaders have openly rebelled against her.
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