Trinamool Congress MP Kirti Azad on Friday, 12 June directly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of engineering the rebellion within the Mamata Banerjee-led party, invoking the phrase 'Operation Lotus never fails' as dissent among Trinamool's Lok Sabha MPs refused to subside. The remarks came from Kolkata as a three-page letter bearing the signatures of 19 rebel Trinamool MPs surfaced, with the signatories reportedly claiming to represent the main and majority bloc of the party in the Lok Sabha.

What Kirti Azad Said

The former cricketer-turned-politician was unequivocal in dismissing the rebellion as externally orchestrated. Azad said: 'There is no loss for Trinamool Congress. The party stands on the name of Mamata Banerjee. She has built the party through struggle. No one can claim that they win elections in Trinamool solely in their individual capacity. Such kind of thinking is a misconception.'

On the rebel MPs specifically, he alleged coercion: 'We knew they would go; five to six of them had CID raids at their residences. BJP workers were threatening them, and the police were not allowing locals to come in. Houses of the first-time MPs were demolished, so they were scared. We knew that some of them might take a decision like this.'

Doubts Over the Rebel Letter

Azad also cast doubt on the authenticity of the signatures on the rebel letter, alleging they were collected at different points in time rather than on a single day. 'It is evident from the signatures in the letter that those were not taken on one day, and instead taken from MPs at different points of time. The ink used for the signatures by the MPs is starkly different from each other, like the one used by Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar,' he alleged.

He also questioned the timing of the rebellion, noting that the MPs chose to act only after the party's loss in the Assembly polls — a sequence he implied was politically convenient rather than principled.

The Kalyan Banerjee Ultimatum

Asked about Trinamool MP Kalyan Banerjee's reported ultimatum to Mamata Banerjee to 'choose' between him and her nephew Abhishek Banerjee, Azad sought to play down the friction. 'Our leader Mamata Banerjee will look into the matter. Kalyan Banerjee has been a very strong and dedicated soldier of the party. There does not seem to be any possibility of him leaving the party,' he said.

BJP's Pattern of Splitting Opposition, Azad Alleges

Azad broadened his attack, alleging a systematic BJP strategy to neutralise opposition parties across the country. 'Shiv Sena and NCP have already been split. Nitish Kumar has been removed from his position as Chief Minister and sent to the Rajya Sabha. JJP in Haryana has also been destroyed by them. They don't want the Opposition to exist in India; that is BJP's ideology,' he alleged.

He further alleged that the BJP's push to destabilise Trinamool was linked to its legislative ambitions: 'BJP wants the support of two-thirds of the members in the Parliament to pass the Delimitation Bill.' The BJP has not responded publicly to these allegations. With the rebel letter now in circulation and internal tensions over the Abhishek Banerjee question unresolved, how Mamata Banerjee manages the next few days will be closely watched.