1 hr ago
TMC Rebel MPs Seek More Time as Group Rift Speculation Grows
Twenty members of the Trinamool Congress, or TMC, have joined a smaller group called the NCPI and are supporting the ruling alliance in Parliament.
A petition asks that they be disqualified under rules against switching parties.
The MPs have asked the Lok Sabha Speaker for two more weeks to answer notices about the petition.
Some of the MPs met in Kolkata, but their leader, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, did not attend.
That absence led to talk that the group might be divided.
Rachana Banerjee said the group is united and that the meeting was only a chance to catch up.
She said Dastidar missed it because of family problems.
The Speaker has not formally recognised the MPs as a separate parliamentary party.
Twenty TMC MPs joined the NCPI and backed the BJP-led NDA after the party lost the Assembly polls.
The rebel MPs have asked Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla for two more weeks to respond to disqualification notices.
A Kolkata meeting to discuss the group's strategy was held without its leader, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar.
Rachana Banerjee described the gathering as a pre-puja get-together and denied there was a rift.
The Speaker has not formally recognised the rebels as a separate parliamentary party, and records still list them as TMC members.
- Who
- Twenty rebel MPs who left the Trinamool Congress and joined the NCPI; the disqualification petition was filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee.
- What
- The MPs sought two more weeks to respond to disqualification notices, amid speculation of divisions in their group.
- Where
- The meeting was held at a hotel in Kolkata; the proceedings concern the Lok Sabha.
- When
- The Kolkata meeting took place on Thursday; the petition was filed on June 18.
- Why
- The MPs are responding to a petition seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law after they left the TMC and joined the NCPI.
Rift concerns
Group's response
Whether the rebel MPs are divided
Rift concerns
Speculation about a rift has grown after group leader Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar missed the Kolkata meeting, alongside claims that some MPs left the group's WhatsApp chats.
Group's response
Rachana Banerjee said all 20 MPs remain together, called the WhatsApp claims baseless, and said Dastidar missed the meeting because of family problems.
Purpose of the meeting
Rift concerns
Sources said the MPs discussed seeking more time to respond to the Speaker's notices.
Group's response
Rachana Banerjee described the gathering as a pre-puja get-together to catch up and discuss issues.
Key facts
- Rebel MPs
- 20 of the TMC's 27 Lok Sabha MPs
- New grouping
- NCPI
- Requested extension
- Two additional weeks to respond to the Speaker's notices
- Speaker
- Om Birla
- Petition filed
- June 18, by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee
- Meeting
- Held in Kolkata and organised by Sudip Bandyopadhyay
- Recognition status
- The Speaker has not formally recognised the MPs as a separate parliamentary party; parliamentary records still list them as TMC members.
Quotes
Rachana Banerjee
NCPI MP who attended the Kolkata meeting
“All 20 MPs are together. All is well. The number of our MPs will increase. There is no rift among us. Some could not attend today's meeting as it was called at two days' notice. Kakoli di is our Chief Whip. She is with us, but she could not make it today because of some family problems”
NDTV
“It's just a pre-puja meeting, we wanted to catch up and discuss some of the issues”
NDTV
Sources
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