Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Saugata Roy on Tuesday, 9 June squarely blamed the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for what he described as a coordinated attempt to fracture the Mamata Banerjee-led party's parliamentary unit in Kolkata, calling it a continuation of the ruling party's so-called 'Operation Lotus' — a strategy he accused the BJP of using to destabilise opposition parties through 'intimidating, threatening and tempting people.'

Roy's remarks came in direct response to reports that senior TMC MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar had claimed that nearly 20 Lok Sabha MPs from the party had decided to back the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and had communicated their position to the Lok Sabha Speaker — a development widely seen as a potential split in the party's parliamentary ranks.

Roy's Allegation: BJP's Familiar Playbook

'14 people had gathered at Union Minister Bhupendra Yadav's house. I don't know where the rest six of them came from. They can give a letter to the Speaker; there is no restriction. This is the BJP's 'Operation Lotus' to break parties by intimidating, threatening and tempting people,' Roy said.

He drew direct parallels with the BJP's earlier manoeuvres against other opposition formations. 'They had done this earlier by breaking Shiv Sena and they broke Sharad Pawar's NCP. Now this is happening, it's nothing new,' he added. The reference underscores a pattern critics have repeatedly flagged — the engineered defection of legislators to weaken regional parties aligned against the BJP at the national level.

Mamata's Meeting and Roy's Uncertainty

On reports that former Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee had met some of the rebel MPs, Roy struck a measured tone. 'What can she do? She can explain. I think she has spoken to some people about this, but I don't know the result,' he said, acknowledging the limits of internal party persuasion in such situations.

Roy also pointed a finger at West Bengal Leader of Opposition Suvendu Adhikari, accusing him of actively orchestrating the rebellion. 'Earlier, he met Trinamool MPs at Bhupender Yadav's residence and then at Shatabdi Roy's place. He wants to break the party; that is what will give him happiness,' Roy alleged.

Roy on Morality and His Own Loyalty

While Roy conceded that some degree of internal disappointment within the TMC may have prompted the dissenters to act, he was unequivocal about the ethical dimension. 'This is morally wrong. You win on the symbol of a particular party, take its support, and later leave the party before the completion of the tenure. This is against morality. Those who want to indulge in this can do so,' he said.

On his own position, Roy left no room for ambiguity. 'I don't have a separate decision. The party on whose symbol I was chosen, I would remain in that party. What anyone says to me will not change my stand,' he asserted.

Asked whether he had personally spoken to any of the 20 reportedly dissenting MPs, Roy said he had spoken to '2–4 MPs' but was not certain the total number reached 20. He said his only verified information was the meeting of 14 people at Bhupender Yadav's residence, as reported in newspapers.

Wider Cracks Within TMC

This is not the first sign of fracture in the TMC in recent weeks. In a separate development, 58 of 80 TMC MLAs reportedly defied the party high command's directive to appoint veteran leader Sovandeb Chattopadhyay as Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, instead electing MLA Ritabrata Banerjee to the post. Taken together, the two episodes suggest a deepening fault line within the organisation — both at the parliamentary and state legislative levels.

With the TMC now facing simultaneous pressure at the Centre and in West Bengal, the coming days will test whether Mamata Banerjee's authority over her party remains intact.