TMC Crisis: Will Speaker Om Birla Recognize Defected MPs?

New Delhi, Jun 16 (PTI): The ongoing political dynamics within the TMC have reached a crucial phase as Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla prepares to hear both the defected members and the faction led by Mamata Banerjee before making a decision on whether to recognize the breakaway group, as per sources.

The speaker's office has reportedly sent a communication to Mamata Banerjee's faction, now significantly diminished, requesting their perspective on the matter.

Sources from Parliament suggested that Speaker Birla is considering seeking a legal opinion regarding the demand of the defected leaders to be acknowledged as a distinct entity, following their proposed merger with the relatively obscure Nationalist Citizens Party of India (NCPI).

The timing of any resolution on the matter is expected to precede the Monsoon Session of Parliament, typically beginning in the third week of July.

The decision on whether to grant recognition to the breakaway faction hinges on the written standpoint of the Union law ministry, which will be derived post-consultation with a senior legal advisor.

The legal advice is deemed necessary to ensure that the speaker's eventual decision, should it face a legal challenge, holds up under judicial review.

Former Lok Sabha secretary general and constitutional expert PDT Achary emphasized the significance of paragraph 4 of the 10th Schedule of the Constitution, noting that only political parties have the authority to initiate mergers, not individual MPs or MLAs.

Achary explained to PTI that while party leadership can decide on a merger, the agreement of its MLAs and MPs is required, asserting, "MPs or MLAs alone cannot merge with another political party — this is the constitutional framework."

A former Election Commission official, familiar with party dealings, described the TMC defectors' plan to merge with the NCPI as an "innovative" move with no existing framework in the anti-defection law or the Representation of the People Act.

The TMC crisis intensified recently when the defected MPs announced their merger with the NCPI and approached Speaker Birla for a separate seating arrangement in the Lok Sabha.

Among the defectors, MP Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar reported that 20 party MPs had endorsed the representation submitted to the speaker.

"Two-thirds of TMC MPs have expressed their intention for a separate seating arrangement. We plan to merge with the Nationalist Citizens Party and extend our support to the NDA," she stated.

The NCPI was officially registered as a political party in January of 2023, listing its headquarters in Sankarail, Howrah district of West Bengal, yet it remains relatively obscure in national politics.

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