As Mamata Banerjee's meetings with the Congress leadership fuelled fresh speculation about the future of her embattled faction, rebel leader Ritabrata Banerjee on Wednesday claimed ownership of the Trinamool Congress itself, declaring that the dissident camp was the "real TMC" and had no plans to merge with the grand old party.
Claiming that the strength of the dissident bloc had risen from 58 to 64 MLAs, Ritabrata said the rebels enjoyed the support of a majority of the party's legislators and a growing number of MPs, and would continue to function under the Trinamool Congress banner.
"We are the real Trinamool Congress. We are not merging with the Congress," Ritabrata told reporters outside the state assembly.
His remarks came amid heightened political speculation following Mamata Banerjee's meeting with Congress Parliamentary Party chairperson Sonia Gandhi and reports of consultations between Abhishek Banerjee and senior Congress leaders in the national capital.
The meetings have fuelled intense chatter in political circles over the future course of the diminished Mamata-led faction of the TMC at a time when the party is battling the biggest internal crisis in its 28-year history.
Ritabrata, however, dismissed suggestions that the organisation could become part of any Congress-led arrangement.
"The number of MLAs with us has already crossed 64. It may become 65 tomorrow when another MLA joins us. Naturally, we are the real Trinamool Congress. Who meets whom in Delhi is their matter and is immaterial for us," he said.
The rebel leader said a fresh communication reflecting the changed strength of the legislative bloc would be submitted to the Speaker.
He further claimed that the dissident camp commanded support not only among MLAs but also among MPs, local body representatives and district-level leaders.
"Most legislators are not merging with the Congress. Most MPs are not merging with the Congress. Many district leaders and local body representatives are also not merging with the Congress. Then where is the question of a merger?" he asked.
Ritabrata also reiterated that the rebel MPs in the Lok Sabha would continue to support the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
The statement assumes significance as 20 rebel TMC MPs have already informed Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla about the formation of a separate parliamentary bloc under the leadership of Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and pledged support to the NDA.
The TMC's organisational crisis burst into the open earlier this week when a rebellion that had first fractured its ranks in the West Bengal Assembly spread to Parliament.
The parliamentary rupture came days after 58 TMC MLAs, a figure the rebel camp now claims has climbed to 64, defied the party leadership and backed expelled MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as Leader of the Opposition instead of the party's official nominee, Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay.
The twin rebellions have plunged Mamata Banerjee's party into arguably the gravest crisis since its formation in 1998, transforming what began as internal dissent into a battle over legislative strength, parliamentary numbers, organisational control and political legitimacy.
The split has steadily widened from the Assembly to Parliament, with senior Rajya Sabha members Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev resigning from both the Upper House and the party.
Against this backdrop, the Delhi meetings between Mamata Banerjee, Abhishek Banerjee and the Congress leadership have acquired added political significance, with speculation rife that sections of the TMC still loyal to the Banerjees could explore closer ties or a merger with the Congress.
Though neither side has publicly spoken of a merger, the meetings have generated enough political buzz for the rebel camp to repeatedly clarify its position.
Asked what would happen if Mamata Banerjee eventually decided to merge her faction with the Congress, Ritabrata avoided a direct answer.
"Tomorrow will answer tomorrow's questions. As of today, the number is 64 and counting," he said.
The remark underscored the fluidity of a political crisis that has already redrawn Bengal's political landscape and left the once-dominant TMC battling simultaneous challenges to its legislative strength, parliamentary presence and organisational coherence.
For now, while Mamata Banerjee's camp is engaged in conversations in Delhi, the rebel faction appears determined to send a different message from Kolkata -- that the fight is no longer merely over numbers, but over who gets to claim ownership of the TMC itself.