‘Mera sar katega lekin jhukega nahi’: TMC rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar cites 'lawlessness, unemployment' in Bengal as reasons for exit
Times of India | 9 June 2026
KOLKATA: Rebel TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Monday said she would not bow to political pressure after announcing that a group of 20 MPs has approached the Lok Sabha Speaker seeking separate seating arrangements in Parliament.
Speaking to ANI, she reiterated her long association with West Bengal politics and said her stand was driven by concerns over “maladministration, lawlessness and unemployment” in the state.
Rejecting allegations of opportunism, she said, “Mera sar katega lekin jhukega nahi... Maine bohot seh liya... I did not come here after Mamata Banerjee became chief minister in 2011; I have been fighting here for 40 years. And as I said, the words of such people have absolutely no effect on me.”
“We will see what happens later. For now, isn't it enough that we want to work for Bengal, for the country, and to keep India secure? This is a crucial issue; the issue of the nation is paramount to us,” she said.
She also said there has been no communication from the party leadership regarding her stand.
Recalling her resignation as District Chairperson after an electoral setback, she said she was disappointed by the lack of response from the party. “I took personal responsibility for the poor outcome, thinking perhaps I hadn't performed my role effectively, and stepped down. Even after that, no one met me or even called; I was simply cast aside,” she said.
The veteran leader, who has been associated with Mamata Banerjee for four decades, also criticised the breakdown in their relationship. “I have been with Mamata Banerjee for 40 years. I never imagined I would live to see a day when she would instruct someone to hurl abuse at me. It was as if they unleashed someone to bark,” she added.
Earlier, she had escalated the internal crisis by announcing that 20 MPs had formally requested the Lok Sabha Speaker for separate seating arrangements.
“We are 20 MPs who have requested the Speaker for separate seating, and we will be working in conjunction with the Central and State Government for the development of West Bengal,” she told ANI.
“We are against the lawlessness, misgovernance and unemployment in the state of West Bengal over the past few years. Things have been getting from bad to worse, and I have been with Mamata Banerjee for 40 years... It is useless to say that just because she is not in power in West Bengal, I have left. It is not that...,” she added.
She further alleged that over the last few years, government officers were under pressure to work according to the wishes of certain leadership.
“We want to work for the development of the state and for the national interest and the safety and security of the nation. That is why we want to work separately,” she said.
The development comes amid rising internal turmoil in the Trinamool Congress following its electoral setback in the West Bengal Assembly elections, which led to political realignments in the state.
Meanwhile, the anti-defection law requires at least two-thirds of a party’s strength to avoid disqualification.
With the TMC holding 28 seats, the threshold stands at 19 MPs. With Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar claiming support of 20 MPs, the faction appears to meet the required numbers.
The situation marks one of the most serious challenges yet for the TMC in Parliament and signals a deepening political divide in West Bengal.
The party had earlier also faced rebellion in the Assembly, with expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee claiming that 58 TMC legislators had been recognised as an opposition group.