Babul Supriyo, a Rajya Sabha MP of the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC), on Thursday broke his silence amid growing defections from the party, declaring in a video message posted on social media platform X that he would neither join a rival faction nor switch parties. The statement offered a rare moment of relief for TMC chief Mamata Banerjee, who has been struggling to hold her parliamentary bloc together following the party's defeat in the recent West Bengal Assembly elections.

What Supriyo Said

'Amidst all this confusion and rumours, I just wish to make it amply clear that I am neither joining any other faction nor any party,' Supriyo said in the video. He also invoked a pointed metaphor: 'It's inappropriate to abandon a ship when it is in troubled waters.' The statement appeared to be a direct response to the growing rebel movement among TMC's parliamentary members.

Earlier on the same day, however, a cryptic post by Supriyo on Facebook — in which he recalled working with political rivals including during his tenure with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) — had briefly reignited speculation about his possible exit. Political observers interpreted it as a calculated move to keep future options open, even as his subsequent video message sought to dispel those rumours.

The Scale of TMC's Crisis

The defections have been swift and significant. Within a span of three days, three TMC Rajya Sabha MPs — Sushmita Dev, Prakash Chik Baraik, and Sukhendu Sekhar Roy — resigned from both the party and the Upper House, fuelling speculation of a wider exodus in the days ahead. The departures include founding members of the party, deepening the sense of organisational crisis around Banerjee's leadership.

This comes roughly a month after the West Bengal Assembly poll defeat, which has served as the trigger for the internal revolt. Critics argue the result exposed deep fissures within the TMC's rank and file that Banerjee's central leadership has so far been unable to address.

Other MPs Deny Rebel Links

Supriyo's declaration of loyalty follows similar statements from fellow TMC MPs Shatrughan Sinha and Pratima Mandal, both of whom denied being part of the rebel group. Shatrughan Sinha said he stands firmly behind Banerjee and would not abandon her. Pratima Mandal, whose name was reportedly included in a list of defecting MPs submitted by the Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar-led camp, flatly rejected the claim. 'This news is completely false,' she said, and challenged the rebel camp to publicly release its list of MPs planning to quit the TMC.

What This Means for Mamata Banerjee

The loyalist declarations offer Banerjee a degree of political cover, but they do not resolve the underlying crisis. The rebel bloc is reportedly still consolidating, and the departures of three Rajya Sabha MPs in quick succession signal that the TMC's troubles in Parliament may not yet have peaked. Notably, Supriyo himself was once a prominent BJP leader who switched to the TMC — a trajectory that makes his current 'sinking ship' metaphor carry particular weight, and particular ambiguity.

How many more MPs ultimately follow the defectors — and whether the rebel faction formalises into a new political grouping — will shape the TMC's parliamentary strength in the weeks ahead.