BJP MP Saumitra Khan on Thursday, 11 June declared that no rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader would be allowed to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), even as a deepening factional crisis within the ruling party in West Bengal pushed a majority bloc of its legislators and MPs toward an open break. Khan's remarks reinforced a position already staked out by two senior BJP leaders earlier this week, signalling a coordinated party line against absorbing Trinamool defectors.

BJP's Unified Stand Against TMC Defectors

Speaking to reporters in Kolkata, Khan was unambiguous: 'No one will be taken into the BJP. They (Trinamool leaders) are forming a separate platform; we are not concerned about what they do with the Trinamool Congress.' His statement follows similar declarations by Union Minister of State Sukanta Majumdar and West Bengal BJP President Samik Bhattacharya, both of whom had previously confirmed that no leader from the Mamata Banerjee-led party would be inducted into the BJP. The three-pronged messaging leaves little ambiguity about the saffron party's strategy: keep the rebel bloc at arm's length rather than risk internal friction from a mass induction.

Sharp Attacks on TMC Leadership

Khan did not stop at closing the door — he escalated his rhetoric against the Trinamool leadership. 'All of them are corrupt. All Trinamool Congress MPs are involved in corruption. They are all thieves. The public does not like them and has voted against them. People have voted against Abhishek Banerjee and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar,' he said. On the question of rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee — currently the Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly — Khan was equally dismissive: 'Ritabrata is not such a good person that people should worship him. We will not allow Ritabrata to join the BJP. If they are forming a separate platform, let them do it.'

Abhishek Banerjee and the CID Summons Row

Khan also weighed in on the legal trouble surrounding Trinamool General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee, who is contesting summons issued by the West Bengal Police's Criminal Investigation Department (CID). 'He (Abhishek Banerjee) is certain to go to jail. Whether it happens today or after a month, but he will definitely go to jail,' Khan claimed. The assertion is unverified and represents the BJP MP's personal opinion; no court has reached such a finding. Notably, the CID summons case has itself become a flashpoint within Trinamool, with rebel MPs reportedly feeling sidelined in the party's legal response.

The Scale of Trinamool's Internal Rebellion

The crisis gripping Trinamool is among the most severe the party has faced since its founding. According to reports, approximately 58 of the party's 80 elected MLAs — led by Ritabrata Banerjee and Sandipan Saha — have aligned with the breakaway faction, as have roughly 18 of 28 Lok Sabha MPs, with Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar among the prominent figures. The rebel groups have gone so far as to claim they represent the 'real Trinamool', placing party chief Mamata Banerjee in an increasingly difficult position. Separately, Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee reportedly lashed out at Abhishek Banerjee's 'arrogance' and 'misbehaviour', saying he felt humiliated after being sidelined in the legal proceedings.

What Comes Next

With the BJP explicitly refusing to absorb the rebels and the breakaway faction asserting its own identity, West Bengal's political landscape faces a period of acute uncertainty. Whether the rebel bloc consolidates into a durable third force, returns to Mamata Banerjee's fold, or fragments further will likely determine the state's opposition arithmetic ahead of the next assembly election.