53 mins ago
Abhishek Banerjee Challenges Parliamentary Committee Chair Appointment, Seeks Withdrawal
Abhishek Banerjee has asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to review a committee chair appointment.
Banerjee says the appointed member is involved in a party-affiliation dispute and has a disqualification case still waiting for a decision.
He wants the appointment withdrawn and the chair given to the Trinamool Congress’s nominee.
He also wants the pending cases decided soon.
Separately, Trinamool leader Derek O’Brien wrote about committee appointments in the Rajya Sabha.
He said his party received no chairperson role among eight committees.
The article does not include a response from the Speaker or the appointed member.
Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla objecting to a chairperson appointment to the Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers.
Banerjee said the appointee is among 20 members facing pending disqualification petitions and has a disputed party affiliation.
He asked whether the chairmanship was allotted to the All India Trinamool Congress or the Nationalist Citizens Party of India, and requested that the appointment be withdrawn.
Banerjee also asked for an early decision on the pending petitions and a written response to his questions.
Derek O’Brien separately objected that the Trinamool Congress received no chairpersonship among the eight Rajya Sabha committees in the 2026–27 reconstitution.
- Who
- Trinamool Congress MPs Abhishek Banerjee and Derek O’Brien; Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
- What
- Banerjee challenged a Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers chair appointment, while O’Brien objected to the party receiving no Rajya Sabha committee chairpersonship.
- Where
- India’s Parliament, including the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
- When
- Banerjee wrote on Saturday; O’Brien referred to Parliamentary Bulletin II published on October 3 and the 2026–27 committee reconstitution.
- Why
- Banerjee cited pending disqualification petitions and disputed party affiliation; O’Brien said the Trinamool Congress was not given a chairpersonship among the eight Rajya Sabha committees.
Key facts
- Committee at issue
- Committee on Chemicals and Fertilisers
- Pending petitions cited
- Disqualification petitions against 20 members
- Banerjee’s request
- Withdraw the appointment, restore the chairmanship to AITC’s nominated member, and decide the pending petitions
- Disputed affiliation
- The appointee reportedly claims affiliation with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India through a merger Banerjee says is disputed
- Rajya Sabha committees
- AITC received no chairpersonship among the eight committees within the Rajya Sabha’s jurisdiction for 2026–27, according to O’Brien
- Earlier chairpersonships
- O’Brien said AITC held a chairpersonship in 2024–25 and 2025–26
- AITC’s Rajya Sabha position
- O’Brien described AITC as the third-largest party in the Rajya Sabha
Quotes
Abhishek Banerjee
Trinamool Congress MP who wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker
“I request that the appointment be withdrawn and the chairmanship restored to AITC's duly nominated Member.”
thehansindia.com
“Are we turning Parliament into a deep, dark chamber.”
thehansindia.com
Sources
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