'What About The Team Of Thieves You Belong To?': NCPI's Kakoli Dastidar Fires Back At TMC's Sagarika Ghose

Published 17 June 2026 · politics

'What About The Team Of Thieves You Belong To?': NCPI's Kakoli Dastidar Fires Back At TMC's Sagarika Ghose Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026

'What About The Team Of Thieves You Belong To?': NCPI's Kakoli Dastidar Fires Back At TMC's Sagarika Ghose Published By, Last Updated: June 17, 2026, 15:34 IST Following a crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly Poll 2026, the TMC suffered an existential crisis as several of its leaders voiced their opposition against the leadership Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar led the faction of TMC’s 20 rebel MPs (Source: PTI) Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar on Wednesday trained guns at the party’s Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose, as she responded to the ‘traitor’ remark made by her. Sagarika Ghose –– a long-time confidant of TMC chief Mamata Banerjee ––targeted the party’s rebel faction and called them ‘traitors’. In a post on ‘X’, Ghose wrote: “There are TWO teams.

Team TMC or team @AITCofficial and team of gaddars or traitors". There are TWO teams. Team TMC or team @AITCofficial and team of gaddars or traitors. pic.twitter.com/4nGy4NNYl Sagarika Ghose (@sagarikaghose) June 17, 2026 Responding to the comments, Dastidar –– who led the TMC’s Lok Sabha MP’s rebel faction –– wrote: “What about the team of thieves and criminals to which you belong"? Poll Debacle, And Existential Crisis After suffering a significant setback in the recently-concluded West Bengal Assembly Election, the Trinamool Congress experienced yet another jolt as several of its leaders turned rebellious against the leadership, particularly Abhishek Banerjee, who is seen as Mamata’s heir. First, TMC’s rebel MLA Ritabrata Banerjee, backed by a group of 58 MLAs, staked claim as the Leader of Opposition in the state assembly.

What followed was yet another episode of rebellion by TMC’s Lok Sabha MPs –– led by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar –– who wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and voiced their support for the BJP-led NDA. On Sunday, the rebel MPs merged with Tripura’s little-known Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), an ally of the NDA. What Tore Apart TMC? Following a crushing defeat in the West Bengal Assembly Poll 2026, the TMC suffered an existential crisis as several of its MPs and MLAs –– including those viewed as Mamata’s trusted-aides –– voiced their opposition against the leadership. Dastidar, a Lok Sabha MP from Barasat, cited corruption and wrongdoings in the TMC as the reason behind her decision to distance herself from the party.

The rebellion also surfaced against the backdrop of an internal dispute over the alleged growing concentration of power around Mamata’s nephew and TMC’s general secretary, Abhishek Banerjee. News18 Newsletter Handpicked stories, in your inbox A newsletter with the best of our journalism submit First Published: June 17, 2026, 15:34 IST News india 'What About The Team Of Thieves You Belong To?': NCPI's Kakoli Dastidar Fires Back At TMC's Sagarika Ghose Disclaimer: Comments reflect users’ views, not News18’s. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy Loading comments...