TMC factions trade barbs in Assembly, BJP watches on
Times of India | 24 June 2026
Kolkata: Laughter and high drama reverberated through the Bengal Assembly on Tuesday as the debate on the governor’s address descended into an open display of Trinamool infighting, with rival factions trading barbs and overshadowing legislative business.
The House appeared divided into three camps — BJP, Mamata Banerjee-loyalist “Kalighat Trinamool”, and the 62-MLA rebel faction led by Leader of the Opposition Ritabrata Banerjee.
The tensions peaked at the conclusion of chief minister Suvendu Adhikari’s speech. Banerjee’s rebel camp staged a walkout, while the Mamata loyalists remained in the House. Seizing on the moment, Adhikari remarked, “See, the real Trinamool walked out, while the Kalighat Trinamool stayed back.”
Mamata loyalist MLA Kunal Ghosh then appealed to the CM, saying, “I have a request for you. Please don’t spare any of these pole-vaulters who deserted Mamata Banerjee just to save their skin and ill-gotten assets.”
Adhikari responded: “No one will be spared. If you have any complaints of corruption or crime, please lodge them. It will be properly probed.”
Earlier, Ghosh had launched a blistering attack on the rebel faction during his maiden Assembly speech since the 2026 elections. Drawing on the Mahabharata, he claimed the loyalists were the righteous “Pandavas”, while the rebels were the “Kauravas” destined to lose despite their numerical strength.
Ghosh also clashed with the Speaker after being pulled up for allegedly straying from the subject. “Do not speak to me like that from the Speaker’s chair. Remember, you also became the Speaker for the first time. If you talk to me like this, should I offer you rosogollas?” he retorted, triggering uproar in the House.
The rebels hit back through Ratua MLA Samar Mukherjee, who urged the treasury benches to “work well for five years so you don’t get eggs on your face”. In an apparent swipe at veteran Shovandeb Chattopadhyay, he added, “I am a priest, I perform rituals. But somehow, I ended up becoming the agriculture minister,” before sarcastically thanking the chief minister for appointing Dudhkumar Mondal to the post.
As the two Trinamool factions traded blows, BJP legislators watched with amusement. “We don’t even have to work hard anymore; they are supplying the ammunition themselves,” a BJP MLA quipped.