Bengal govt boosts security of 5 rebel Trinamool MLAs from Birbhum
Synopsis
Five Trinamool MLAs from Birbhum who defied party orders to back Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition have received enhanced state security — a move rivals within TMC say is administration-backed consolidation of the rebel camp. With nearly two-thirds of TMC's Lok Sabha members reportedly restless, what started as a district-level revolt could fracture the party all the way to Parliament.
Key Takeaways
The West Bengal government has provided two additional armed guards each to five rebel TMC MLAs from Birbhum district .
The five are Fayezul Haque (Kajal Sheikh) , Rajendra Prasad Singh , Mosharraf Hossain , Chandranath Sinha , and Bidhan Chandra Majhi .
All five defied party directives and backed Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly.
Political sources say nearly two-thirds of TMC Lok Sabha members are reportedly unhappy with the party leadership.
Senior MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar is said to be a potential leader of a parallel rebellion in Parliament.
Dastidar has filed a complaint with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla against MP Kalyan Banerjee over alleged verbal harassment.
The West Bengal government has enhanced security cover for five Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators from Birbhum district who defied party directives and backed Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the state Assembly, a senior official confirmed on Sunday, 7 June. Each of the five MLAs has been provided with two additional armed security guards, according to sources familiar with the development.
The Five MLAs Who Broke Ranks
The legislators whose security has been upgraded are: Fayezul Haque (Kajal Sheikh), Birbhum Zilla Parishad President and Hansan MLA; Rajendra Prasad Singh, Nalhati MLA; Mosharraf Hossain, Murarai MLA; Chandranath Sinha, former minister and Bolpur MLA; and Bidhan Chandra Majhi, Nanoor MLA. All five reportedly backed Banerjee's appointment as Leader of Opposition in direct contravention of the party's official position.
Why the Security Upgrade Matters
State authorities cited concerns that the legislators' political defiance could expose them to security risks — a rationale that a section of the TMC has disputed. According to party insiders, the move is widely seen within the organisation as an administration-backed effort to consolidate the dissenting camp. The development signals that the rift within the TMC Legislative Party is deepening rather than narrowing.
Rebellion May Reach Delhi, Sources Say
Political circles in Kolkata are rife with speculation that the intra-party rebellion could soon extend to the national capital. Reportedly, nearly two-thirds of TMC's Lok Sabha members are said to be deeply dissatisfied with the party's top leadership, with a significant number believed to be distancing themselves — mirroring the fracture already visible in the Assembly. The dissident grouping, informally referred to as 'good Trinamool', has coalesced around Banerjee in the state legislature.
Senior MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar in Focus
Sources indicate that senior TMC MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar could lead a parallel rebellion at the parliamentary level. This comes after Dastidar wrote a formal letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, lodging a complaint against fellow party MP Kalyan Banerjee, accusing him of 'insulting and misogynistic behaviour'. She alleged that Kalyan Banerjee repeatedly subjected her to verbal harassment inside the Lok Sabha — a charge that has added another layer of tension to an already fractured party dynamic.
What Comes Next
The widening divide within the TMC — from district-level MLAs in Birbhum to Lok Sabha members — suggests the party faces a structural challenge that individual security upgrades cannot resolve. Whether the rebellion crystallises into a formal split, both in the Assembly and in Parliament, will depend on how the party's top leadership responds in the coming days.
Point of View
Effectively signalling that the administration is not neutral in this intra-TMC contest. The more telling number is the two-thirds figure: if that many Lok Sabha members are genuinely alienated from the TMC leadership, this is no longer a Birbhum story — it is a succession crisis in slow motion. The Kakali Ghosh Dastidar complaint against Kalyan Banerjee adds a gender-accountability dimension that the party's leadership cannot easily dismiss without further damaging its own standing.
NationPress
2 Aug 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Why has the West Bengal government increased security for five TMC MLAs from Birbhum?
The state government says the security upgrade was prompted by concerns that the five legislators' political defiance could compromise their safety. The five MLAs had backed Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of Opposition against the party's official instructions, and each has been given two additional armed guards.
Who are the five rebel TMC MLAs from Birbhum?
They are Fayezul Haque (Kajal Sheikh) of Hansan, Rajendra Prasad Singh of Nalhati, Mosharraf Hossain of Murarai, Chandranath Sinha of Bolpur, and Bidhan Chandra Majhi of Nanoor — all from Birbhum district in West Bengal.
What is the 'good Trinamool' group?
It is an informal dissident grouping within the Trinamool Congress that has formed around Ritabrata Banerjee in the West Bengal Assembly. The group comprises MLAs who have broken with the party's official line, and sources say a similar rebellion may take shape in Parliament.
What complaint did Kakali Ghosh Dastidar file against Kalyan Banerjee?
Senior TMC MP Kakali Ghosh Dastidar wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla alleging that fellow party MP Kalyan Banerjee subjected her to repeated verbal harassment inside the Lok Sabha, describing his conduct as 'insulting and misogynistic'.
Could the TMC rebellion spread to Parliament?
According to political sources, nearly two-thirds of TMC's Lok Sabha members are reportedly dissatisfied with the party's top leadership. Kakali Ghosh Dastidar is said to be a possible leader of a parliamentary-level revolt, though no formal split has been announced.
