New Delhi:Trinamool Chief Mamata Banerjee's troubles have compounded as she was in a huddle with the INDIA Bloc today. A group of her party's 28 MPs now say they want to join the NDA.

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who was upset with the party after being removed from the post of the Whip, said going by the people's verdict, they believe that their "future political course should be aligned with the NDA". 

Nearly 20 Trinamool MPs, including her, "have decided to write to Speaker Om Birla and formally convey our desire to be part of the NDA," Ghosh Dastidar told reporters today. 

Rebel Trinamool MP Sharmila Sarkar told NDTV, "We are forming a different bloc of 20 MPs and going to give support to the NDA. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar is our chief whip and Shatabdi Roy is our deputy leader".

The move mirrors the events in West Bengal, where 58 MLAs - led by expelled rebel Ritabrata Banerjee - have formed a bloc, and taking a page out of the Shiv Sena's book, claim to be the "real" Trinamool. Their grouse is the party's choice for the Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Shobhandeb Chatterjee.

In case of Ghosh Dastidar, the last straw appears to be her removal from the post of the whip. Calling her removal "arbitrary" and "unilateral", she told reporters that the party chairperson "may have announced my replacement from the post, but that does not alter the constitutional and parliamentary position overnight".

The MPs' declaration came following a meeting at the house of BJP leader Bhupendra Yadav's house today.

The location was around a kilometre from the spot where Mamata Banerjee was attending the INDIA Bloc meeting. One of the agendas, sources said, was ironically, reining in the rebel MPs. Ghosh Dastidar, though, was emphatic while speaking to reporters.

Source:Ndtv