New Delhi: The INDIA bloc staged a walkout from the all-party meeting convened by the Centre on Saturday ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament, which is scheduled to commence on July 20, protesting the presence of members of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), a rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress.
The meeting, held in the Main Committee Room of the Parliament House Annexe, was attended by Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal and other MPs of the ruling NDA.
Several Opposition leaders also participated in the meeting, including Congress MP Jairam Ramesh, NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule, RLD MP Rajkumar Sangwan, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, Trinamool Congress rebel MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay, JMM MP Mahua Maji and others.
However, the meeting witnessed a dramatic turn when the INDIA bloc walked out in protest over the participation of members of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), which it described as an unrecognised political party.
Opposition leaders objected to the invitation extended to the rebel Trinamool faction despite the pending disqualification proceedings against its MPs.
Speaking to reporters after the walkout, Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said, “Today, the entire Opposition, including the Congress, the Samajwadi Party, DMK, JMM, Aam Aadmi Party, National Conference, Left parties, and Shiv Sena (UBT), walked out of the all-party meeting in protest because the so-called NCPI is an unrecognised party. The strength of the All India Trinamool Congress, as shown in the list provided by the Table Office, is 28 members. These so-called rebel 20 MPs have not had their merger approved by the Speaker. The 20 disqualification petitions are still pending.”
She further questioned the basis on which the rebel MPs had been invited to the meeting, saying, “After the 91st Amendment, there is no room for a separate bloc. So on what grounds did the Parliamentary Affairs Minister extend an invitation to these 20 rebel MPs, and how are they attending this meeting? So, we have walked out as a symbol of our protest.”
The walkout comes a day before the commencement of the Monsoon Session, with the Opposition signalling its objections over the recognition and participation of the rebel Trinamool faction in official parliamentary consultations.
(IANS)
