Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla Issues Notices to 20 TMC MPs

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla has issued notices to 20 Trinamool Congress MPs in connection with a disqualification petition filed by TMC leader Abhishek Banerjee. The development comes after the Supreme Court directed the Speaker to act expeditiously on pending disqualification pleas. The MPs have reportedly been given seven days to submit their written responses. Banerjee had approached the Speaker on June 18 under Rule 6 of the Members of Lok Sabha (Disqualification on Ground of Defection) Rules, 1985.

The TMC alleges that the 20 MPs, who were elected on the party’s symbol, left the party and joined the National Citizens Party of India (NCPI) in Tripura and also participated in NDA-related programmes. The party argues that their actions attract disqualification under the anti-defection provisions of the Constitution’s Tenth Schedule. The MPs, however, maintain that their move amounts to a legally valid merger. The Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohan, stressed that the pending pleas should be dealt with promptly and within a reasonable timeframe.