Hooghly (West Bengal) [India], July 19 : Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Kalyan Banerjee on Sunday said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to grant separate seating to 20 rebel TMC MPs was not "expected", arguing that the Speaker has disqualification petitions already pending against rebel MPs which were not addressed before making the decision.
Speaking to reporters here, Banerjee said, "We have already filed petitions seeking disqualification on grounds of defection before the Speaker. Now, without deciding the questions raised in the disqualification applications against the 20 persons... It was not expected that the recognition would be made by the Speaker."
His remarks follow Om Birla's approval for the separate seating in the Lok Sabha for 20 MPs who broke away from the TMC and announced a merger with the regional party, the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). However, the merger of rebel TMC MPs has not yet been approved by the Speaker.
Additionally, he also approved the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) rebel MPs with the Shiv Sena led by Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde. This takes the Shiv Sena's strength to 13, reducing UBT Sena to three members in the Lok Sabha.
This comes after Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju invited rebel TMC leaders Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who have joined the NCPI, to attend the all-party meeting scheduled for Sunday, which prompted opposition leaders to stage a symbolic protest by walking out of the meeting soon after it commenced.
Talking to reporters, TMC leader Mahua Moitra said that opposition parties registered their strong protest over the government's decision.
"Today, the entire opposition including Congress, the Samajwadi Party, DMK, JMM, Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, Left parties, Shiv Sena UBT have all walked out of the all party meeting in protest because the so-called NCPI, which is an unrecognized party, the strength of the All India Trinamool Congress in the list provided by the table office is shown to be 28 members. These so-called rebel 20 MPs, their merger has not been approved by the Speaker," Moitra said.
Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "All Opposition parties staged a walkout from the All-Party meeting for a few minutes. This was a mark of protest against the decision of the Modi Govt to invite the NCPI, which is a parking place for 20 'rebel' TMC MPs, when a final decision is still pending with the Speaker," Jairam Ramesh said in a post on X.
This comes ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is set to begin on July 20 and is scheduled to end on August 13. The mergers have ignited speculation around the Centre bringing back the Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill, which proposes an increase in the number of seats in the Lok Sabha up to 850 and implementing the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, 2023, to provide 33 per cent reservation to women in legislatures.
The NDA is likely to move closer to the two-thirds majority mark of 360 in the House of 540 members, with three seats currently vacant. (ani)