New Delhi: Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Thursday granted time till September 22 to the 20 MPs of the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI), following petitions filed by the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress (TMC) seeking their disqualification under the anti-defection law.
The time was granted by the Speaker after the NCPI MPs asked for the extended period to reply to his August 26 notices that had sought their responses in seven days.
The Speaker has granted time till September 22 to the NCPI MPs to reply to the notices, sources in Parliament said.
The letter states, “With reference to your letter dated September 1 for request of extension of time for 3 weeks i.e. up to September 22 to furnish the reply to the petition dated June 18 made by Abhishek Banerjee, MP and Leader of All India Trinamool Congress in Lok Sabha under the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution of India, I am directed to inform you that Hon’ble Speaker has acceded to your request for extension of time up to September 22 to file your reply to the petition.”
The petition has been filed by TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee on June 18 seeking Bandyopadhyay’s disqualification under the anti-defection law.
Earlier, TMC Parliamentary Party leader Abhishek Banerjee held a crucial meeting with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
The 20-minute discussion focused on TMC’s demand to fast-track disqualification proceedings against 20 rebel MPs, led by veterans Sudip Bandyopadhyay and Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, who broke ranks in June following internal turmoil over the election loss.
To evade the Tenth Schedule (Anti-Defection Law), the breakaway faction (representing over two-thirds of TMC’s 28 Lok Sabha members) announced a merger with the Tripura-based Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).
While Speaker Birla has granted separate seating for the 20 breakaway MPs in the House, but has not ratified the merger.
Abhishek Banerjee pressed Speaker Om Birla to expedite disqualification petitions against the rebels and revise seating arrangements for the remaining 8 loyalist TMC MPs.
Banerjee had also approached the top court in the case, where Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Lok Sabha Speaker and the Secretary General of the House, informed the bench that the Speaker has already issued notices to the 20 MPs on the disqualification petitions filed by the TMC under the Tenth Schedule.
