Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee meets Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at Parliament House and submits 20 petitions seeking disqualification of “rebel” TMC MPs, alleging their voluntary defection and seat liability under the anti-defection law. Banerjee is accompanied by senior party leaders including Saugata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra and Derek O’Brien. Speaking after the meeting, Banerjee says the MPs concerned have claimed to join the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and have also sought recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha. He argues that recognition is legally untenable and that the constitutional framework in the Tenth Schedule disqualifies members who leave their original party voluntarily. Banerjee further contends that the merger provision under the anti-defection law cannot be invoked because it requires merger of at least two-thirds of a political party as a whole, not just its legislature wing. He also says the party has provided judicial precedents to support its position and criticises the rebels’ demands for separate seating and organisational recognition. The Speaker is expected to hear both sides before deciding on the rebels’ request for separate recognition.
Abhishek Banerjee meets Lok Sabha Speaker, seeks disqualification of 20 rebel TMC MPs
Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee meets Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla at Parliament House and submits 20 petitions seeking disqualification of “rebel” TMC MPs, alleging their voluntary defectio...
- Abhishek Banerjee meets Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and submits 20 petitions seeking disqualification of rebel TMC MPs.
- Banerjee argues the MPs face disqualification under the anti-defection law for allegedly leaving TMC membership voluntarily.
- The rebel MPs reportedly claim they have joined NCPI and seek recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha.
- Banerjee says the merger provision cannot apply because it requires merger of at least two-thirds of the party, not only its legislature wing.
- The Speaker is expected to hear both sides before taking a decision on the rebels’ demand.
TMCs Abhishek Banerjee meets LS Speaker seeks disqualification of rebels
2 months agoNew Delhi: Trinamool Congress leader in the Lok Sabha, Abhishek Banerjee, on Friday met Speaker Om Birla and submitted 20 separate petitions seeking the disqualification of 20 rebel party MPs, arguing that they had voluntarily given up their membership of the Trinamool Congress and were liable to lose their seats under the anti-defection law.Banerjee was accompanied by senior party leaders Saugata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee, Mahua Moitra and Rajya Sabha floor leader Derek O’Brien during the meeting at Parliament House.VIDEO | After meeting Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee says, "I can only present my side before him, and I have done that. I submitted the disqualification petitions that I showed you. Around 20 such petitions have been submitted. All our prayers are included… pic.twitter.com/fD9A1reS3U— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 19, 2026 Addressing reporters afterwards, Banerjee said the rebel MPs had claimed to join the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) and sought recognition as a separate group in the Lok Sabha. He contended that such a move was legally untenable, maintaining that the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution disqualifies members who voluntarily leave their original party.He further argued that the rebels could not invoke the merger provision under the anti-defection law because it requires the merger of at least two-thirds of the political party as a whole, rather than only members of its legislature wing.Abhishek Banerjee Writes To Lok Sabha Speaker, Opposes Recognition Of Rebel TMC MPsAccording to Banerjee, the party has also furnished judicial precedents on the interpretation of the Tenth Schedule to support its case before the Speaker.The TMC leader criticised the rebel MPs for seeking separate seating arrangements and organisational recognition in the House, asserting that they should first face disqualification proceedings. He also accused them of abandoning the party for personal reasons and alleged that some had acted under pressure or inducement.The Speaker is expected to hear both sides before taking a decision on the rebels’ demand for separate recognition in the Lok Sabha.
2 months agoTwenty people met the Speaker and claimed they should be treated as a separate group. Later, we got to know that those MPs claimed to have joined another party, NCPI; nobody has heard the name of this group, says Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee
2 months ago
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