The political turmoil engulfing the Trinamool Congress (TMC) took a dramatic turn after Srinagar MP Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi and senior TMC leader Mahua Moitra revived an incident from Parliament’s winter session, alleging that rebel MP Yusuf Pathan had once been warned against protesting against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
The controversy surfaced a day after Pathan and 19 other dissident TMC Lok Sabha MPs formally informed Speaker Om Birla of their decision to merge with the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI), intensifying the crisis facing Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s party.
In a post on social media platform X, Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi recounted an episode that allegedly occurred during an Opposition protest in Parliament over the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) exercise and other issues. According to Mehdi, Yusuf Pathan had joined fellow TMC MPs in demonstrating against the government when a Muslim MP from another party allegedly approached him and advised him to withdraw from the protest.
Mehdi claimed that Pathan appeared visibly shaken after the interaction.
“I saw a change on Yusuf’s face; he was almost shivering,” Mehdi wrote, recalling the incident. When he later asked Pathan what had happened, the former Indian cricketer allegedly revealed that he had been warned about the consequences of opposing the BJP.
According to Mehdi, the MP had told Pathan: “What is wrong with you? Why are you protesting against BJP? They will bulldoze your house in Gujarat.”
The remarks have sparked fresh political debate amid the growing split within the TMC.
Reacting to Mehdi’s account, Mahua Moitra publicly identified the individual allegedly involved as AIMIM chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi.
Moitra claimed she had intervened at the time and assured Pathan that the Trinamool Congress would stand firmly behind him. However, expressing anger over Pathan’s subsequent role in the rebellion against the party, she launched a sharp attack on the former cricketer.
“What a pity I fought for a gaddar with no courage and no spine. He was better off doing commentary. What a scared phattu,” Moitra wrote on X.
Mehdi also expressed disappointment, stating that both Moitra and the TMC had backed Pathan when he felt vulnerable, only to be “stabbed in the back” by his eventual decision to join the rebel camp.
Neither Owaisi nor the AIMIM had publicly responded to the allegations at the time of reporting.
Yusuf Pathan, who entered active politics after winning the Baharampur Lok Sabha constituency on a TMC ticket in the 2024 general elections, has emerged as one of the most prominent faces of the rebellion within the party.
The dissident faction, comprising around 20 Lok Sabha MPs, has sought recognition as a separate parliamentary group and requested a merger with the National Citizens Party of India. The move represents one of the most serious challenges to Mamata Banerjee’s leadership since the party came to power in West Bengal.
Speaker Om Birla is expected to decide on the matter only after hearing both the rebel MPs and representatives of the official TMC leadership. Sources indicate that the Speaker’s office has asked loyalist MPs to present their arguments before any ruling is made.
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