Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, now aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), participated in a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi. Their prominent seating alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders fueled speculation about their future political affiliations. The MPs described the meeting as enriching and informative, focusing on key national issues. This development comes as TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has initiated actions to disqualify the rebel MPs and alter their parliamentary seating arrangements, reflecting significant internal party divisions and political realignment.

Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, now aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), participated in a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi. Their prominent seating alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders fueled speculation about their future political affiliations. The MPs described the meeting as enriching and informative, focusing on key national issues. This development comes as TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has initiated actions to disqualify the rebel MPs and alter their parliamentary seating arrangements, reflecting significant internal party divisions and political realignment.

Rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs, now aligned with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), participated in a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi. Their prominent seating alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other senior leaders fueled speculation about their future political affiliations. The MPs described the meeting as enriching and informative, focusing on key national issues. This development comes as TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee has initiated actions to disqualify the rebel MPs and alter their parliamentary seating arrangements, reflecting significant internal party divisions and political realignment.

Lok Sabha MPs of the rebel faction of the Trinamool Congress (TMC) who merged with the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI) attended the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) parliamentary party meeting in Delhi on Tuesday. Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar was seated in the front row on the same sofa as Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh. The other rebel MPs who attended the meeting were Shatabdi Roy, Rachna Banerjee, Sharmila Sarkar and Sayyoni Ghosh.

“We are very happy that we were called,” said Ghosh Dastidar.

“I participated in the NDA meeting. It was an enriching and informative meeting in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Today, we had a discussion on FTAs. It was a positive discussion,” said Sayyoni Ghosh.

Shatabdi Roy said she had not seen such a meeting in the past. “It was well-organised. They informed us about which bills are coming,” said Roy.

The rebel MPs were called for the ‘Mangal Milan’ meeting, which started at 9:30 a.m., with discussions on the NEET paper leak, farmers and FTAs. The meeting comes in the backdrop of rumours that the 20 MPs will join the BJP soon. A day earlier, NCPI MP Sudip Bandhopadhyay met West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari for about 40 minutes at the state secretariat, Nabanna, in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Monday in Delhi, seeking to expedite the pending decision on disqualifying the NCPI MPs who won on a TMC ticket. At the time of their victory, the 20 MPs owed allegiance to Mamata Banerjee. Abhishek also appealed to the Speaker to revoke the changes made to the seating arrangements of the MPs in Parliament. The 20 MPs had asked for separate seating arrangements from Mamata’s faction of the TMC.

The Diamond Harbour MP has written two letters to the Speaker in the recent past. The first letter stated that the 20 MPs should be disqualified under the 10th Schedule of the Constitution and the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985. The second letter raised objections to the changes made to the seating arrangements of the 28 MPs of the TMC, of whom only eight remain with the Mamata faction. The second letter also seeks to recognise the TMC as a single parliamentary party of 28 MPs under Abhishek’s leadership.

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