What ABP Live reported

ABP Live's headline says TMC MP Kirti Azad dismissed claims that 20 Trinamool Congress MPs were backing the BJP-led NDA, branding it a failed 'Operation Lotus'.

What the evidence shows

The headline faithfully reflects Azad's public statements. <cite index="1-7,1-8,1-9,1-10,1-11">In a post on X on 9 June 2026, the AITC leader called the viral list a "fake and fabricated" list floated by the BJP, said six of those named had denied signing any documents, and declared that "Operation Lotus has failed. Amit Shah has failed."</cite>

Azad has also publicly disputed the rebel faction's headcount. <cite index="6-10,6-11">He dismissed claims of large-scale defections as a "fake and fabricated narrative" being pushed by the BJP, and said only 13 MPs — 12 from the Lok Sabha and one from the Rajya Sabha — had attended a meeting at Union Minister Bhupender Yadav's residence.</cite>

The wider context the headline doesn't capture

The rebel side tells a very different story. <cite index="9-1,9-2,9-3">Rebel MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar confirmed to ANI on 8 June 2026 that 20 TMC MPs had formally written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressing their desire to extend support to the NDA.</cite> <cite index="7-1">Ghosh Dastidar, who resigned from all positions within the TMC last month, said she had submitted a letter signed by around 20 MPs to Speaker Om Birla, seeking separate seating arrangements as a separate bloc.</cite>

The dispute also involves the chief whip's post. <cite index="5-4,5-5">The party leadership says it had already removed Ghosh from the post and appointed Kalyan Banerjee as her replacement, communicating this to the Lok Sabha Secretariat in an official letter dated 20 May, with a receipt stamp from the Speaker's Office dated 29 May.</cite>

Numerically, the stakes are precise. <cite index="13-13,13-14,13-15">The TMC currently has 28 Lok Sabha MPs, with one vacancy following the death of Basirhat MP Haji Nurul Islam, and the support of 20 MPs would comfortably cross the two-thirds threshold required for protection under the anti-defection law.</cite>

Verdict

As a report of Azad's statement, ABP Live's headline is accurate — he did dismiss the 20-MP claim and did invoke "Operation Lotus". The headline does not, however, settle the underlying factual dispute. Multiple wire reports cite the rebel leader's own confirmation of 20 signatories, while Azad insists only 13 MPs actually attended the BJP-hosted meeting and that six named MPs have denied signing. The Speaker's office has not, as of reporting, publicly verified the letter's signatories.

What would help

Release of the letter and its signatures by either side, or a statement from the Speaker's office on receipt and verification, would resolve the conflict. Until then, readers should treat both the rebels' '20 MPs' headline and the loyalists' '13 MPs' counter-claim as competing assertions rather than settled facts.