Abhishek Banerjee Seeks Disqualification of 20 TMC MPs

Trinamool Congress (TMC) national general secretary and Lok Sabha leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday intensified the party's battle against its dissident MPs by submitting disqualification petitions against 20 lawmakers to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
Speaking to reporters after meeting the Speaker, Banerjee alleged that a group of 20 TMC MPs had approached Om Birla three to four days earlier, seeking recognition as a separate parliamentary group.

"Twenty MPs of TMC met the Speaker 3-4 days ago and claimed to form their separate group. As per media reports, they sought to be treated as a separate group. A few hours later, some of them claimed to have merged with NCPI, an entity none of us had even heard of," Banerjee said.

The TMC leader argued that the MPs' actions were in direct violation of the anti-defection provisions under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution. He said he had submitted 20 separate disqualification petitions against the rebel lawmakers.

"As the leader of TMC in the Lok Sabha, I have submitted 20 different disqualification petitions. The Tenth Schedule is clearly against those who claim to have formed a separate group," he stated.

Banerjee also questioned the moral authority of the dissident MPs to continue in office, asserting that they should resign if they truly wished to break away from the party.

"If they have even a little integrity, they should resign from their posts," he added.
The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing political turmoil within the Trinamool Congress and could have major implications for the party's parliamentary strength if the Speaker proceeds with the petitions under the anti-defection law.