Rebels in TMC rebel group: Dozen-odd breakaway MLAs signal rethink over loyalty to Mamata

Key points

• The engineers of the Trinamool rebellion found themselves grappling with the threat of a counter-rebellion as early as Day 2. About a dozen-odd breakaway MLAs on Thursday signalled a rethink, some of them telling The Telegraph their understanding had been that Mamata Banerjee would remain their leader, and asserting they would not accept Ritabrata Banerjee as the alternative.
• They did not clarify how they had expected Mamata to lead a revolt against herself.
• Sources attributed the development to back-channel pressure on many of the rebels from Mamata and her lieutenants.
• “When we signed (Wednesday’s letter), we did so with Mamata Banerjee as our supreme leader,” Gulsan Mullick, MLA from Panchla in Howrah, told this newspaper.
• These dozen-odd MLAs were among the 58 who had signed a letter presented to Speaker Rathindra Bose on Wednesday declaring themselves the real Trinamool and seeking the leader of the Opposition’s (LoP) post for Ritabrata....