Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla invited Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee to appear before him on June 19 to present the official party’s position on the ongoing dispute over a claimed split in the Mamata Banerjee-led party, according to a communication from the Lok Sabha Secretariat, sources said Wednesday.
The move comes as the Speaker weighs competing claims arising from a rebellion within the TMC’s Lok Sabha ranks, with a group of 20 MPs seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary formation after announcing their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
According to the sources, the June 19 meeting is scheduled so the official TMC leadership can present its arguments to the Speaker before any decision is made on the recognition sought by the rebel faction. The development follows a recent meeting between the dissident MPs and Speaker Om Birla, during which they submitted a letter informing him of their merger with the NCPI and requested separate seating arrangements in the Lok Sabha along with recognition as an independent parliamentary group.
Ahead of the proposed interaction, Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the Speaker on June 10, urging him not to recognise any faction claiming to represent a separate group within the All India Trinamool Congress. In his letter, Banerjee argued that constitutional provisions and the anti-defection framework do not permit creating parallel groups within a recognised political party.
Banerjee is understood to have cited provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution as well as Supreme Court Constitution Bench judgments dealing with defections and mergers. He maintained that for a merger to be legally valid under anti-defection laws, two conditions must be fulfilled simultaneously: the merger of the original political party itself and support from at least two-thirds of the legislators belonging to that party. Meeting only one of these requirements, he argued, would not satisfy the constitutional test for a valid merger.
“The law does not envisage recognition of a separate faction within a recognised political party merely on the basis of a claim by a group of legislators,” Banerjee is understood to have argued in his representation to the Speaker.
The controversy has triggered a significant political and legal battle within the TMC, with the rebel camp contending that its merger with the NCPI entitles it to separate recognition in Parliament. The dissident MPs have maintained that their move reflects a political realignment and have sought corresponding parliamentary status.
The Mamata Banerjee-led faction, however, has strongly opposed any such recognition, arguing that it would legitimize a split not supported by constitutional provisions governing defections and mergers. Party leaders have insisted that the breakaway MPs continue to be bound by the anti-defection law and cannot be treated as a distinct group merely on the basis of their declaration.
Sources in the TMC said that, until the time of filing this report, the party had not formally received any communication from the Speaker’s Office regarding the proposed meeting. Nevertheless, the invitation is expected to provide the party leadership an opportunity to formally contest the claims made by the rebel MPs.
The June 19 hearing is likely to be a crucial step before the Speaker arrives at a decision on the matter. Parliamentary sources indicated that both sides are being given an opportunity to place their respective arguments on record, following which the Speaker will examine the claims in light of constitutional provisions, parliamentary precedents and applicable rules.
The dispute has assumed significance not only because of its potential impact on the numerical strength of the TMC in the Lok Sabha but also because it could test the interpretation of anti-defection provisions governing mergers and splits in political parties. Any decision by the Speaker is expected to be closely watched across the political spectrum as it may have wider implications for future cases involving breakaway factions and claims of merger by elected representatives.