The political storm around TMC MP Yusuf Pathan in West Bengal has taken a fresh turn. Pathan, who won the 2024 Lok Sabha election on a TMC ticket by handing Congress veteran Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury a heavy defeat, has now crossed over to the rebel camp after the 2026 Bengal Assembly election and openly turned against Mamata Banerjee.
A New Claim About Why He Switched Sides
The moment Pathan's decision became public, Mahua Moitra began attacking him. Now another voice has been added to that chorus. Aga Syed Ruhullah Mehdi, the JKNC MP from Srinagar, has made a striking claim that Pathan is not changing sides on a whim but was put under heavy pressure. According to Mehdi, a threat delivered to Pathan inside the Lok Sabha left him badly shaken, and it was this fear that pushed him into rebellion. The Srinagar MP narrated the entire episode that allegedly unfolded inside Parliament, and Mahua Moitra responded by endorsing his account.
What Happened in Parliament, in Mehdi's Words
Making an explosive disclosure about Pathan, Mehdi said, 'During the last winter session of Parliament the entire opposition was protesting against SIR and other issues in the House. As usual the All India Trinamool Congress MPs were in the well and protesting fearlessly. I was right there and I heard a well-known Muslim MP, who was not from the TMC, shouting at Yusuf Pathan and telling him to step back from the protest. Yusuf actually withdrew and went back to his seat. I saw the change on Yusuf's face, he was almost trembling.'
The Allegation of a Bulldozer Threat
According to Mehdi, Pathan was told plainly that if he did not back off, his house in Gujarat would be demolished by a bulldozer. The Srinagar MP also claimed that Pathan had shared all of this with Mahua Moitra. In his post he wrote, 'After that MP left, I went up to Yusuf and asked him what had happened. Why did he look so frightened? Yusuf told me that the man had said he should not protest against the BJP and asked, what has gotten into you? Why are you protesting against the BJP? Why are you making yourself the enemy. They will run a bulldozer over your house in Gujarat.'
Mehdi continued, 'Meanwhile Mahua Moitra came over and asked me what had happened. I told her that Yusuf was scared because the man had told him the BJP would run a bulldozer over his house in Gujarat. Mahua got angry and told Yusuf not to listen to the man, that we are with you, we are one, and no one will dare touch you or your family.' Wrapping up his account, Mehdi also took a dig, saying it was painful for Mahua Moitra and the All India Trinamool Congress, because the very person they stood by, he and people like him, stabbed them in the back.
Mahua Moitra Hits Back
Reacting to the whole sequence, Mahua Moitra confirmed the episode as true. She wrote on X, 'Yes sir, it was Asaduddin Owaisi who was warning Yusuf Pathan, remember. How unfortunate that I fought for a traitor who had neither courage nor a spine. He was better at commentary! What a scared coward…' In doing so, Moitra directly named Asaduddin Owaisi as the person behind the threat.
The Land Dispute Behind the Threat
Yusuf Pathan originally hails from Vadodara in Gujarat, where his entire family lives. A case of alleged land encroachment against him recently made headlines. It is believed that the threat of possible bulldozer action on this very land was being used to keep Pathan from speaking out, and he eventually walked away from the TMC. So far, however, Pathan himself has issued no official statement on any of these claims.
Bengal's Deepening Political Crisis
Amid the deepening political crisis in Bengal, the troubles for the Trinamool Congress keep mounting. The rebel MPs have already announced a merger into the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a party that had long stayed out of the headlines. The rebel camp met Om Birla and submitted a request for separate seating arrangements in the House. On the other side, TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee is demanding that the Lok Sabha Speaker reject the rebel group's demand and grant it no recognition, while Sudip Bandyopadhyay of the rebel faction says they will move court and stake their claim to the TMC party symbol.
