India, June 18 -- Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has invited Trinamool Congress leader Abhishek Banerjee to a meeting on June 19 to present his case regarding the party split, according to parliamentary sources. However, Trinamool Congress sources said the party had not received any communication from the Speaker's Office as of 3 pm.

Parliamentary sources said 20 rebel Trinamool Congress MPs have demanded recognition as a separate group following their merger with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India. The Speaker has decided to hear both factions before making a decision. On June 10, Abhishek Banerjee wrote to the Lok Sabha Speaker, urging him not to accord any recognition, status or facility to any group claiming to be a separate faction...