File picture of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee with Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia

| Photo Credit: PTI

Dissident TMC MPs will meet Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday to seek recognition as the "real TMC", rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia said on Friday (June 12, 2026), and claimed that 19 members are currently backing the faction.Mr. Basunia, the MP from Cooch Behar and among the lawmakers seeking to support the NDA in the Lok Sabha, told PTI Videos that the group has already submitted a representation to the Speaker."We have submitted the letter... On Monday, we will go to the Speaker and stake our claim to form the real TMC parliamentary group. We will ask the Speaker to give recognition to our claim," Mr. Basunia said.He said that the process to collect signatures began on June 8 and that 19 MPs had signed the representation so far.Sources said the timing of the meeting has not been finalised yet.Mr. Basunia hit back at TMC MP Kirti Azad over his remarks that dissident MPs were being given money to shift loyalty, and said, "Kirti Azad is a liar. This is not right to say. We are 19 MPs and he is also an MP... it is not right to make such allegations".Asked about senior Trinamool Congress leader Kalyan Banerjee’s remarks on Abhishek Banerjee, Mr. Basunia said, “He is saying the right thing. We support Kalyan ji’s statement".The TMC plunged into a crisis following the party's defeat in the West Bengal assembly elections and rebellion by a large section of its legislators.The turmoil later spread to Parliament, with dissident MPs claiming the support of more than 20 Lok Sabha members.On Thursday, Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik became the third TMC parliamentarian to resign from both the party and the Upper House this week, after Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev.The crisis also exposed internal fault lines in the party.Senior TMC leader Kalyan Banerjee on Thursday launched a sharp attack on party national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee and declared that he would remain in the party only if Abhishek is removed from all leadership positions.Even as the rebellion gathered momentum, several senior leaders publicly reaffirmed their support for Mamata Banerjee.Lok Sabha MPs, including Sougata Roy, Shatrughan Sinha, Pratima Mondal, and Rajya Sabha MP Babul Supriyo, have denied being part of a dissident grouping, asserting that they would remain with the party. Published - June 12, 2026 04:14 pm IST