Kirti Azad points to Nishikant Dubey, repeats 'Operation Lotus' has failed

As the Trinamool Congress battles a widening rebellion within its parliamentary ranks, senior party MP Kirti Azad has sought to turn attention towards BJP MP Nishikant Dubey, arguing that recent political developments point to a continuing effort to engineer defections from Mamata Banerjee's party.

The immediate trigger was the resignation of Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Chik Baraik, who became the third TMC parliamentarian this week to quit both the party and the Upper House after Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Sushmita Dev. Shortly after his resignation, Baraik addressed the media outside Dubey's Delhi residence, a detail that Azad seized upon as part of what he described as a broader political pattern.

In a post on X, Azad alleged that 'Operation Lotus under the guidance of Amit Shah' was underway. Referring to Baraik's appearance outside Dubey's residence, he wrote: 'Prakash Barik, who resigned as Rajya Sabha member gave his press bite in front of late Nehru's lover's house, Mr Nishikant Dubey.'

However, Azad's focus on Dubey is tied to a larger argument he has been making since the rebellion erupted. The veteran TMC leader has consistently disputed claims by dissident leaders that around 20 TMC Lok Sabha MPs are prepared to back the NDA or support a split in the parliamentary party. He has described circulated lists of supporters as unreliable and questioned why no definitive proof of such backing has emerged publicly.

According to Azad, the inability to demonstrate those numbers has transformed the exercise into a matter of political prestige for the BJP leadership.

In recent interviews, he has argued that the rebellion has fallen short of securing the support required for a formal breakaway and that efforts are therefore continuing to persuade additional MPs to join the dissident camp.

Azad has also suggested that pressure is being exerted on individual parliamentarians. Referring to rebel MP Bapi Haldar, he claimed: "Bapi Haldar was trembling but he signed," implying that support for the dissident grouping may not have been entirely voluntary.

It is against this backdrop that Azad has sought to draw attention to a series of meetings involving senior BJP leaders and rebel TMC figures. Apart from Baraik's appearance outside Dubey's residence, he has pointed to a meeting between some dissident MPs and Union minister Bhupender Yadav, as well as West Bengal chief minister Suvendu Adhikari's visit to the residence of TMC MP Satabdi Roy, where he claimed several MPs were present.

'So far, Amit Shah's Operation Lotus has failed,' Azad wrote, arguing that the developments amounted to evidence of an organised attempt to weaken the TMC.

The allegation drew a response from Dubey, who chose not to directly engage with the charge of political engineering. Instead, the BJP MP highlighted his longstanding personal relationship with Azad.

In a post on X, Dubey said Azad was welcome to hold a press conference either outside or inside his residence. He noted that they had served together as BJP MPs for a decade and recalled that Azad's late father (former Bihar chief minister Bhagwat Jha Azad) had been a mentor-like figure in his life. Dubey also pointed out that Azad's ancestral village falls within his Godda Lok Sabha constituency in Jharkhand and said his official residence was a result of the support he had received from the people of Godda.

Azad responded warmly but refused to retreat from his political argument. 'Tumhein mera aashirvaad hai. Vyaktigat ladai to hai nahin (you have my blessings; the fight isn't personal),' he wrote, describing Dubey as a younger brother and insisting that the disagreement was not personal.

Yet he immediately returned to the substance of his allegation. "Main to keval Operation Lotus ki pushti kar raha tha (I was merely flagging Operation Lotus),' Azad wrote.

He then offered what has become the clearest summary of his case. 'Pehle Bhupender, phir Suvendu aur phir mera chhota bhai Nishikant. Pratyaksh ko pramaan ki aavashyakta nahin hoti (what you can see doesn't need proving).'

The remark encapsulates Azad's broader argument that the rebellion remains a work in progress rather than a completed political realignment. According to him, the sequence of meetings and public appearances involving BJP leaders and rebel TMC figures suggests that efforts to expand the dissident camp are continuing because the numbers publicly claimed by its organisers have yet to materialise.

The TMC has been grappling with mounting turmoil since its defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The crisis deepened further after a purported document carrying the names and signatures of 19 TMC Lok Sabha MPs circulated online, fuelling speculation that support for the rebel camp extended far beyond those who had formally resigned. The document has not been independently verified.

Several senior leaders, however, have publicly reaffirmed their loyalty to Mamata Banerjee. MPs including Sougata Roy, Shatrughan Sinha, Pratima Mondal and Babul Supriyo have denied being part of any dissident grouping.