'Sar Katega Lekin Jhukega Nahi': TMC Rebel MP Kakoli Opens Up On Leaving Mamata After 40 Years

Last Updated:June 09, 2026, 11:23 IST

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar said she had supported Mamata Banerjee for the last 40 years, but cited misgovernance and lawlessness behind her decision to join the NDA.

Trinamool Congress’s (TMC) rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar has emerged as a key face of rebellion within the party’s Lok Sabha ranks, claiming that at least 20 dissident MPs are now in talks to join the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in an unprecedented setback for the party that once commanded near-unquestionable loyalty in West Bengal.

Dastidar said she had been working alongside former Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for the last 40 years, even before she assumed power in 2011. She justified her decision to back the NDA, citing the party’s suboptimal work in education, health, and law and order over the last few years. She also alleged that government officers were working according to the whims of a few leaders within the party, which resulted in TMC’s crushing defeat in the 2026 Assembly elections.

“A lot of financial irregularities have cropped up, which are being proved today. Different sectors like education, health, and the film industry have absolutely collapsed, law and order were not optimum, and the pressure was too much on the government officers to work according to the whims and fancies of certain leadership, which is not a congenial working atmosphere for the development of a state," she told news agency ANI.

She also pushed back against allegations that she was leaving the party solely because of its recent electoral defeat, saying she had viewed Mamata Banerjee as a “guide, mentor and a leader" and backed her even when she was not in power.

‘Sar Katega Lekin Jhukega Nahi’

Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, a three-time MP from Barasat, previously held several key organisational responsibilities, including chairperson of the All India Trinamool Mahila Congress and roles linked to the party’s Bangla Janani outreach programme. Her resignation from all party posts triggered speculation about wider discontent within the party.

Explaining her stance, she said the dissident MPs had written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for separate seating in the Parliament, and that they were willing to work with the Central and BJP-led state government for the development of West Bengal, citing lawlessness and misgovernance over the last few years.

Responding to several TMC leaders criticising the dissident MPs for allying with NDA, Dastidar said, “I have been with Mamata Banerjee from the start. I fought as a councillor in 2001 against the Left Front. I come from a political family. Mera sar katega lekin jhukega nahi. Maine bohot seh liya (My head may be cut off, but I will never bow down. I have endured enough). The words of such people have absolutely no effect on me."

She also rejected reports of any intimidation that influenced the MPs decision to join the NDA. “You can see for yourself, I am sitting here alone. Where is the intimidation?… We all 20 MPs sat down and signed," she said.

When asked if Banerjee tried to reach out to her after she tendered her resignation, the TMP MP claimed, “No one from that side tried to reach out." She alleged being ignored by the party, saying she was “simply cast aside."

Her remarks come amid a deepening crisis within the party, which has witnessed a series of resignations, defections and public displays of dissent in the aftermath of its electoral defeat.

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Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master's in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int...Read More

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