The Trinamool Congress (TMC) is one indivisible political party, TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee said in a letter to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, even as the party’s rebel faction, comprising at least 19 MPs, is scheduled to meet the Speaker of Parliament on Monday to demand recognition of the rival bloc.
The letter was handed over to the Speaker by MPs Kirti Azad and Sagarika Ghose on Sunday.
In the letter, Banerjee criticized the rebel camp’s move to recognize it as a separate faction and said that “no recognition of nature” should not be given.
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“My attention has been drawn to news reports that some members of the Lok Sabha belonging to the AITC have submitted or are proposing to submit a letter to your good offices seeking recognition as a group or faction separate from the AITC, independent of the legislative party,” the letter said.
Citing the Supreme Court ruling in the Maharashtra political crisis case, the TMC leader said that “divisiveness” is no longer available under the 10th Schedule and that the legal framework specifies only one political party.
The letter added, “The Independent Committee of a Political Party is a single, indivisible political party… There is in law only one Independent Committee of a Political Party, one leader of the party in the House of Representatives, and one member, all of whom hold positions under the authority of the political party and its competent regulatory authority. No member or group of members can, of their own free will, form a parallel ‘group’ or ‘faction’ of the same party and demand independent recognition within the House.”
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After meeting with the Speaker, Kirti Azad said that the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court had made it clear that division within a political party was not allowed.
He told reporters, “We came here to deliver a message on this matter only and to urge the Speaker of the House of Representatives to work within the constitutional framework and its legal aspects.”
The development comes amid growing internal discord within the TMC, as rebel MPs, led by Kakoli Ghosh Dasdidhar, sought separate recognition in the Lok Sabha.
The rebel group is now preparing to meet Om Birla on Monday seeking to be recognized as the “real TMC” and allowed to sit alongside the ruling BJP-led NDA in the House.
The list of rebel MPs includes Babi Haldar, Dr. Sharmila Sarkar, Prasoon Bandyopadhyay, Jagadish Parma Basonia, Asit Kumar Mal, Arup Chakraborty, Rachna Banerjee, Sayoni Ghosh, Khalilur Rehman, Abu Tahir Khan, Yusuf Pathan, Mitali Bagh, Mala Roy, Kalipada Soren, Deepak Adhikari, John Mallya, and Partha. Bhowmik.
(With inputs from agencies)
