Both Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool Congress and Uddhav Thackeray’s Shiv Sena (UBT) are going through difficult times these days. Leaders of both the parties are leaving the party one by one. Opposition parties are blaming BJP for this, although BJP has rejected the allegations of inciting rebellion among the opposition parties. BJP has blamed the lack of leadership in these parties for the recent turmoil.
The BJP led National Democratic Alliance seems to be directly benefiting from this breakdown. Because the rebel groups have expressed their desire to support the ruling coalition. NDA currently has 293 MPs in the Lok Sabha. If 20 MPs who broke from TMC and merged with Nationalist Citizens Party of India and 6 rebel MPs of Shiv Sena UBT come together, then this figure can reach 319. Rebel leaders of both the parties have given statements in favor of changing sides.
BJP accused of instigating
The opposition is continuously accusing BJP of instigating and fueling the rebellion. At the same time, the ruling party is blaming the leadership of regional satraps for this crisis. BJP says that the crisis arising in parties like Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Shiv Sena (UBT) is the result of their own lack of leadership ability.
reasons for defection
On the condition of anonymity, a senior BJP MP said that there are many reasons for MLAs to change parties. The first reason is the political future, where he sees himself and the party going. The second reason is the relationship between the leader and the workers and the third reason may be other benefits including economic benefits.
‘No contact between leadership and workers’
The leader said that the recent incidents of dissent against TMC and Shiv Sena (UBT) chiefs Mamata Banerjee and Uddhav Thackeray reflect the gap between the top leadership and the workers. He said that these incidents clearly show that the communication between the top leadership and the workers has broken down.
‘The cause of Shiv Sena was betrayed’
The BJP leader said, ‘There was a time when Balasaheb (Thackeray) used to ensure that the party leaders and workers were taken care of. That relationship between leader and worker has now disappeared. Many of them also feel that Uddhav has betrayed Shiv Sena’s objective of protecting Hindutva by aligning with the Congress.
Uddhav Thackeray’s allegations against BJP
Meanwhile, while addressing the party workers on Friday, Uddhav Thackeray denied these allegations and also offered to resign from the post of party chief. He accused BJP of trading MPs to increase its strength in the Lok Sabha. So that support can be gathered for laws like Delimitation Bill, for which two-thirds majority in Parliament is necessary.
TMC rebels gave the reason
At the same time, former West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee has also accused BJP of instigating rebellion in her party. The rebels who broke away from TMC held the party’s national general secretary and Mamata’s nephew Abhishek Banerjee responsible for administrative lapses. The rebels say that it was because of these shortcomings that the party suffered a crushing defeat in the recent assembly elections.
‘The party was being run like a fiefdom’
Another BJP leader from Bengal said, ‘This is not one or two leaders leaving the party in anger. The MLAs almost staged a coup. They elected Ritabrata Banerjee as the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly and 20 MPs decided to merge with NCPI. The real reason for this was the crisis of leadership. The party was being run like a fiefdom and the elected leaders had no voice.
TMC got a crushing defeat at the hands of BJP
TMC had to face a crushing defeat at the hands of BJP in the elections held in April-May. BJP won 207 out of 294 seats, while TMC could get only 80 seats. With this historic victory, BJP ended the 15-year rule of Mamata government.
‘TMC leaders were in touch with BJP long before the elections’
A leader said that many TMC leaders were in touch with BJP long before the elections. He disagreed with the party’s stance on illegal immigrants and the state government’s failure to take action against syndicates that collected bribes from people.
‘Strong leadership is necessary to keep the party united’
An official said that strong leadership is necessary to keep the party united. There is a system of review from top to bottom in BJP. The party has mechanisms in place to address concerns and prevent dissent from turning into rebellion. Apart from the forums within the party, the Sangh i.e. Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh works as an additional support system.
The leader also drew a distinction between the rebellion of TMC and Shiv Sena UBT leaders and the resignation of “individual” leaders from BJP. Referring to the examples of senior leaders like BS Yediyurappa, Uma Bharti and recently K Annamalai leaving the party, the leader said that they cannot be compared. He said, ‘The leaders had separated from the party due to personal reasons and not due to systemic problems. Anyway, he has come back to the party, which itself is an indicator of the strength of the party.
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