Trinamool seeks disqualification of 20 rebel MPs, Abhishek Banerjee meets Speaker
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Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said the party has filed 20 separate petitions before Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla seeking the disqualification of 20 rebel MPs who have broken away from the party and claimed affiliation with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
The move comes after the dissident MPs sought recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha, claiming they had merged with the NCPI.
Speaking after meeting the Speaker, Banerjee said the rebel MPs had approached Birla earlier seeking separate group status. "Twenty people met the Speaker and claimed they should be treated as a separate group. Later, we got to know those MPs claimed to have joined another party, NCPI," Banerjee said.
Citing the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, Banerjee argued that MPs who voluntarily give up membership of the party on whose symbol they were elected should lose their seats.
"We have demanded that these petitions be decided as soon as possible. The Supreme Court has also said that a decision should be made within three months," he said.
Banerjee said issues such as separate seating arrangements or recognition of a leader were secondary to the disqualification question. He accused the rebels of violating the anti-defection law and alleged that central agencies such as the ED and CBI were being misused to pressure elected representatives.
The meeting followed a June 10 letter in which Banerjee urged the Speaker not to grant recognition or facilities to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the Trinamool Congress. He argued that the anti-defection law does not permit the creation of a separate group within an existing political party and cited the Supreme Court's judgment in the Maharashtra political crisis case.
The rebellion follows the Trinamool Congress's defeat in the West Bengal Assembly elections. The dissident camp claims the support of 22 MPs and is seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary bloc.
A similar split has emerged in the West Bengal Assembly, where 64 of the party's 80 MLAs have formed a separate legislative group. The matter is currently under challenge before the Calcutta High Court.
According to sources, the Speaker is expected to decide on the petitions before the Monsoon Session of Parliament.