TMC Crisis: In a major setback for the Trinamool Congress (TMC) chief Mamata Banerjee, the Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused to grant an interim stay on the West Bengal assembly speaker's decision to appoint TMC MLA Ritabrata Banerjee as the leader of the opposition. While refusing any interim order on the Speaker's decision, Justice Krishna Rao stated that the matter would again appear for hearing on July 28.

Apart from this, while listening to the petition filed by senior Trinamool Congress leader Sobhandeb Chattopadhyay, the high court also directed the respondents in the petition to file affidavits within three weeks. Earlier on Wednesday, the court questioned the Speaker's decision-making process by pointing out why the rebels' letter was accepted within days while the letter submitted by the TMC bloc was left pending.

ALSO READ: Mamata Banerjee Moves Calcutta High Court Challenging Her Bhabanipur Loss To BJP's Suvendu Adhikari

On the allegations of lacking the required numbers, Ritabrata Banerjee on Tuesday asserted that he was ready for a floor test to settle the matter. "I am saying this because people outside are making so many statements, and the media is also showing immense interest in these remarks. So, my message to everyone is that if the Speaker feels a floor test needs to happen, let there be a floor test," Banerjee said.

"Once the floor test takes place, all this endless rhetoric and cross-talk will come to an end," he added. The Trinamool Congress has been facing an internal crisis following the humiliating defeat in the assembly election. While announcing a separate bloc, Ritabrata Banerjee slammed Abhishek Banerjee, TMC general secretary and Mamata's nephew.

ALSO READ: TMC Crisis: Lok Sabha Speaker Calls Abhishek Banerjee For Discussion On June 19 Over Rebel MPs Row

He stated that 58 of the 80 MLAs have agreed to support the bloc, further stating that the new group is the real Trinamool Congress. The rebel MLAs also submitted a letter to the Bengal assembly Speaker to appoint Raitabrata as the leader of the opposition. However, Mamata Banerjee's bloc opposed the decision by alleging that the party organization was not consulted before this decision.