TMC's Abhishek Banerjee meets LS Speaker, seeks disqualification of 20 'rebels'

The Trinamool Congress (TMC) on Friday urged Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to disqualify 20 of its MPs after they revolted against the party, sought recognition as a separate group in the House and announced plans to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

TMC general secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee submitted 20 separate disqualification petitions to the Speaker, arguing that the rebel MPs had voluntarily given up the party’s membership and that their claim of a merger did not qualify for protection under the anti-defection law.

Banerjee met Birla along with Lok Sabha MPs Saugata Roy, Kalyan Banerjee and Mahua Moitra, and Rajya Sabha member Derek O’Brien. He said the Speaker had earlier called him, but he could not attend due to an Enforcement Directorate (ED) investigation. “Today I came to meet with all members,” he told reporters after the meeting.

The development comes after Birla invited Banerjee to present the TMC’s position before deciding on the rebels’ demand to be recognised as a separate group following their merger with the NCPI. The Speaker had called Banerjee after the 20 rebel MPs met him and conveyed their decision to form a separate bloc.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 29 MPs were elected on TMC tickets. One of them has since died and the seat remains vacant.

Speaking to reporters, Banerjee said the TMC learnt that four to five MPs had initially claimed they were forming a new party. He cited provisions of the Tenth Schedule, saying that any MP who voluntarily leaves a political party loses membership of the House.

“We got to know those MPs claimed to have joined another party, NCPI. Nobody has heard the name of this group. Even they had not heard the name of this party,” Banerjee said.

He argued that the rebels could not claim protection under the merger provision of the anti-defection law. Referring to paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule, he said a merger is recognised only when two-thirds of the total political party merges with another party, not merely a section of its legislators.

“If they have been elected on a symbol and are claiming after two years that they are joining a new party, their membership should go,” he said.

“Based on that, I, as the leader of Lok Sabha of TMC, have submitted 20 different disqualification petitions against those MPs,” Banerjee added.

He said both the act of leaving the party and what he described as an invalid merger attracted disqualification. Banerjee said the party had also submitted several court judgments relating to the Tenth Schedule to the Speaker.

Referring to the rebels’ demand for a separate sitting arrangement and their plans to elect a Lok Sabha leader and chief whip, Banerjee said, “This is not possible. You will first be disqualified.”

He also said, “If they have any integrity left, they should leave their posts.”

Launching a sharp attack on the rebel MPs, Banerjee alleged that they had “sold their self-respect”.

“Someone has to escape ED, CBI... Some are getting money, or being threatened,” he said, claiming he possessed “concrete proof”. He added that anyone objecting to his allegations could approach the courts.

“They are joining hands with the BJP because they can’t fight; there is no space for such people in Bengal politics,” he said.

Banerjee also alleged pressure on his party from central agencies and the government.

“In the last seven days, I have received five summons. There have been two raids at my house, two raids at Mamata ji’s house. They took Mamata ji’s security. We don’t want it either. What can one expect from the government that unleashed bulldozers on the poor,” he said.

Asked whether the TMC would also move court, Banerjee said the party would take a decision in due course.

“We have left it to the judgment and wisdom of the speaker. He has said he will listen to the other side again and call us once more. I hope the speaker of Lok Sabha will work as per the Constitution and not choke democracy,” he said.

Earlier, Banerjee had written to the Speaker asking him not to grant any recognition, status or facilities to any group claiming to be a separate faction of the All India Trinamool Congress, arguing that neither the Constitution nor the anti-defection law permits the formation of a separate group within an existing political party.

If the Speaker accepts the rebels’ plea, the NCPI would become the second-largest constituent of the NDA in the Lok Sabha, ahead of the Telugu Desam Party, which has 16 MPs, and the Janata Dal (United), which has 12. The BJP has 239 members on its own, excluding the Speaker.

The NCPI was registered as a political party in January 2023. Election Commission records list its address as a building in Sankrail in Howrah.

Former Lok Sabha secretary general and constitutional expert PDT Achary said paragraph 4 of the Tenth Schedule allows a merger only when a political party merges with another political party.

He said MPs or MLAs cannot independently merge with another party. According to the provision, a member is protected from disqualification only if the original political party merges with another political party and at least two-thirds of the members of the legislature party agree to the merger.

“If a party leadership decides to merge with another political party, its MPs and MLAs must agree, but the MPs or MLAs alone cannot merge with another political party. This is the constitutional provision,” Achary told PTI.

An Election Commission official said the NCPI would have to report the latest developments to the poll authority in due course and that there was “no tearing hurry” to inform it.

A former EC official who had dealt with political parties described the TMC rebels’ plan to merge with the NCPI as an “innovation” that finds no mention in either the anti-defection law or the Representation of the People Act.

The issue now rests with the Lok Sabha Speaker, with the TMC pressing for disqualification of the rebel MPs and the rebels seeking recognition as a separate group in the House.

- Ends