Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla is consulting both factions of the Trinamool Congress before deciding on a merger claim submitted by 20 rebel MPs who have aligned with the NCPI.
Speaker Om Birla is consulting both factions of the Trinamool Congress before deciding on the merger claim made by 20 rebel MPs. | Photo: ANI
A decision on the political future of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs is likely only after Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla hears both sides of the dispute, a report said on Tuesday.
The development comes days after the dissident lawmakers claimed to have merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and sought separate recognition in the Lok Sabha. The move has triggered a fresh political confrontation within the Trinamool Congress, with the party leadership rejecting the legitimacy of the exercise.
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News agency ANI mentioned sources as saying that the Speaker’s office has reached out to the faction aligned with former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee and invited its representatives for discussions. Any decision on the merger request is expected after consultations with the officially recognised party leadership.
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The controversy stems from a dramatic split within the TMC’s Lok Sabha ranks. A group of 20 MPs recently approached the Speaker and submitted documents seeking recognition of their merger with the NCPI.
The rebel camp argues that its move is protected under provisions of the anti-defection law. The faction maintains that it has crossed the two-thirds threshold required for a valid merger under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
TMC MP Kirti Azad strongly contested the claim and said the party continues to remain under the leadership of Mamata Banerjee.
“Our letter to the Lok Sabha Speaker clearly states that the real TMC is that of Mamata Banerjee, because the political party is hers. The letter given (by 20 rebel TMC MPs) to the Speaker is misleading,” Azad told ANI.
He also accused the dissident group of acting out of self-interest and questioned the credibility of the organisation they have joined.
“There is a rebellion among the traitors (rebel TMC MPs) over who will become a minister (MoS). The party they have merged with has no representation in Parliament. It is an unrecognised and unregistered party. It has no identity. This is not democratic,” he said.
Questioning the NCPI’s standing, Azad said the party has no parliamentary presence.
“How can you merge with a party that has no presence? They are fighting amongst themselves for posts in a party that doesn’t even exist on the parliamentary map,” he added.
The split became public on June 14 when the rebel faction, led by senior parliamentarian Sudip Bandyopadhyay, met Speaker Om Birla and sought separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha.
The group has maintained that its merger with the NCPI satisfies constitutional requirements and therefore does not attract disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The Nationalist Citizens Party of India, a Tripura-based political outfit with a limited organisational presence, has unexpectedly emerged at the centre of national political attention following the merger claim.
The party has welcomed the entry of the rebel MPs. NCPI national organising secretary Shantanu Dey said the organisation hopes to expand its footprint and work in line with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s vision.
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