Kolkata, July 27 -- The 20 former TMC MPs who recently joined the NCPI are set to attend the NDA MPs' meeting in New Delhi on Tuesday, even as TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee has written to Speaker Om Birla seeking the expeditious disposal of disqualification petitions filed against them.
The turncoat MPs are scheduled to attend the NDA MPs' meeting in New Delhi, which will be addressed by PM Modi. Their proposed meeting with West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will not take place as the Chief Minister's scheduled Delhi visit has been cancelled. Though, the Lok Sabha Speaker is yet to formally recognise their change of party affiliation.
In his letter to Birla, Abhishek said the disqualification petitions were filed on June 19 under Paragraph 6 of the Tenth Schedule and alleged that more than five weeks had passed without notices being issued or hearings being scheduled. He also pointed to the invitation extended to the MPs as a separate group to the All-Party Meeting held on July 19, saying the continuing uncertainty over their status could undermine the anti-defection law.
Earlier, a six-member TMC delegation led by Abhishek had met the Speaker to press for action. In the letter, he requested that the petitions be heard and decided separately, with all concerned parties given a full opportunity to be heard.
Reacting to the developments, former political strategist and Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor said: "Mamata Banerjee may have a hundred bad sides, but she established the Trinamool Congress with her blood and sweat" and questioned the stature of the rebel leaders, saying that if they had the strength, they should contest elections as Independents.
Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.