New Delhi: West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari will travel to New Delhi on Tuesday to meet the 20 former Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha members who joined the National Citizens’ Party of India (NCPI) soon after the results of the state Assembly elections were announced.
The meeting comes amid an intensifying political battle over the status of the rebel MPs, with the Trinamool pressing for their disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The meeting assumes significance as it is scheduled just a day after TMC National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, urging the expeditious disposal of the party’s disqualification petitions against the 20 MPs.
Although the Lok Sabha Speaker has not yet formally recognised the legislators’ switch to the NCPI, separate seating arrangements have already been allotted to them in the Lok Sabha.
Earlier, Abhishek Banerjee, also the nephew of former West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, along with senior TMC MPs Mahua Moitra and Kalyan Banerjee, had met Speaker Om Birla and sought the immediate disqualification of the 20 rebel lawmakers.
However, the Speaker’s office is yet to take a decision on the petitions.
Against this backdrop, Adhikari’s meeting with the NCPI MPs has attracted political attention. The legislators have claimed to be allies of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.
According to sources, the meeting has been scheduled for Tuesday at Banga Bhavan in New Delhi. While the official agenda has not been disclosed, discussions are expected to centre on issues concerning West Bengal and parliamentary coordination.
Sources familiar with the development said the effective utilisation of Members of Parliament Local Area Development (MPLAD) funds through better coordination with the state government could be one of the key issues on the agenda.
“There might be discussion on which West Bengal-related issues will be raised by these MPs on the floor of Parliament during the Monsoon Session of the House,” a state BJP leader said.
The meeting comes at a time when the Monsoon Session of Parliament is underway and the fate of the disqualification petitions remains uncertain. The Speaker’s eventual ruling on the petitions is expected to have significant political implications for both the rebel MPs and the Trinamool Congress.
(IANS)
