20 Disqualification Petitions Filed After Meeting Speaker, Says Abhishek Banerjee
Abhishek Banerjee confirms 20 disqualification petitions filed post Speaker meeting.
Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader Abhishek Banerjee on Friday said that Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has received 20 disqualification petitions filed by his party against rebel MPs who have allegedly broken away and claimed affiliation with a new political entity, intensifying a political and legal battle over anti-defection provisions in Parliament.
After meeting the Speaker, Banerjee said the rebel MPs had earlier approached the Lok Sabha Secretariat seeking recognition as a separate group, claiming they had merged with a little-known organisation called the Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI). He said the TMC has strongly objected to this claim and has urged the Speaker not to grant any such recognition.
Banerjee argued that under the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution, any legislator who voluntarily gives up membership of their original party is liable for disqualification. He said the rebel MPs were elected on the TMC symbol and cannot later claim affiliation with another party while retaining their seats in Parliament.
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He further said that the Supreme Court has previously directed that decisions on disqualification matters should be taken expeditiously, ideally within a defined timeframe, and urged the Speaker to dispose of the petitions without delay. Banerjee maintained that issues such as seating arrangements or group recognition were secondary to the core question of constitutional validity under anti-defection law.
The TMC leader also alleged that the breakaway MPs were acting under pressure and inducements, and accused them of undermining democratic norms. He added that those who choose to leave the party are free to contest future elections under any banner, but must first face the legal consequences of their current actions in Parliament.
The Speaker is expected to examine the petitions ahead of the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, as similar precedents involving party splits and mergers in both the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha are already under consideration in other cases.
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