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APTrinamool Congress Parliamentary Party Leader and National General Secretary Abhishek Banerjee wrote to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla on Sunday, urging to rejection of recognition and status to any separate group or faction of the party.
The letters comes as a response to "news reports that certain TMC Lok Sabha MPs have submitted, or propose to submit, a communication to your good office seeking to be recognised as a separate group or faction of the AITC, independent ofthe legislative party."
Banerjee asked Birla to treat TMC as single party "represented solely through duly authorised Leader and Whip". He also urged that the Speaker must afford TMC an opportunity of being heard before any decision.
"It is also respectfully submitted that the AITC reserves its rights, including its right to initiate appropriate proceedings under the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution, in respect of any conduct falling foul of the provisions referred to herein," he added.
Also read: TMC leaders were devastated by Mamata Banerjee's "reign of terror", says BJP's Manan Kumar Mishra
Bandyopadhyay told PTI he decided to stay with the dissident camp after an appeal from rebel MPs and MLAs, but added that he was yet to sign the letter to be submitted to Speaker Birla and would do so only in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The rebel MPs are likely to meet Adhikari in the evening. Meanwhile, the MPs met Union Minister Yadav in Delhi to finalise their strategy ahead of Monday's meeting with Birla.
The visit came a day after Bandyopadhyay, one of Banerjee's closest aides, joined the rebel camp after meeting Shah and Yadav in Delhi. "I had a meeting with Amit Shah," Bandyopadhyay told reporters on Sunday.
"Most of the MPs and MLAs wanted this to be a successful initiative. They wanted the party to continue under the guidance of Mamata Banerjee, with her playing a role similar to that of a chief advisor and party leader. Their appeal genuinely touched me. Therefore, I decided that I could continue to stay with them," he said.
As troubles mounted for the West Bengal-based party, the TMC carried out a fresh organisational reshuffle, removing Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy and Bandyopadhyay from key party positions.
Earlier, rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia announced that the group would meet Birla on Monday and seek recognition as the "real TMC" parliamentary group.
"We have submitted the letter. On Monday, we will go to the speaker and stake our claim to form the real TMC parliamentary group. We will ask the speaker to give recognition to our claim," he said.
Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose asserted that there was "no legal provision" for a separate group and argued that MPs could face disqualification unless their original political party merged with another party under provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
"The crucial condition is that the original party has to merge with another party. There is no legal provision for a 'separate group' inside Parliament or an assembly while sitting on an MP or MLA seat won on the original party's name and symbol," she said in a post on X on Sunday.
"The law is clear. No separate group inside the House on the same symbol is legal. Merge with a new party or be disqualified," Ghose added.
In another post, she added, "Fair-weather 'politicians' who enjoy the fruits of collective success but abandon the collective the moment challenges arise, reveal a horrible moral and ethical deficit." She said the rebel MPs should "do the right thing: resign your seat."
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The letters comes as a response to "news reports that certain TMC Lok Sabha MPs have submitted, or propose to submit, a communication to your good office seeking to be recognised as a separate group or faction of the AITC, independent ofthe legislative party."
Banerjee asked Birla to treat TMC as single party "represented solely through duly authorised Leader and Whip". He also urged that the Speaker must afford TMC an opportunity of being heard before any decision.
"It is also respectfully submitted that the AITC reserves its rights, including its right to initiate appropriate proceedings under the Tenth Schedule to the Constitution, in respect of any conduct falling foul of the provisions referred to herein," he added.
Also read: TMC leaders were devastated by Mamata Banerjee's "reign of terror", says BJP's Manan Kumar Mishra
Crisis in Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress deepens
Crisis in the TMC deepened earlier on Sunday with Mamata Banerjee confidant Sudip Bandyopadhyay throwing his weight behind the rebel camp, as dissident MPs met Union minister Bhupender Yadav at his house ahead of seeking recognition as the "real TMC" parliamentary group from the Lok Sabha speaker, according to news agency PTI.Bandyopadhyay told PTI he decided to stay with the dissident camp after an appeal from rebel MPs and MLAs, but added that he was yet to sign the letter to be submitted to Speaker Birla and would do so only in the presence of West Bengal Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari.
The rebel MPs are likely to meet Adhikari in the evening. Meanwhile, the MPs met Union Minister Yadav in Delhi to finalise their strategy ahead of Monday's meeting with Birla.
The visit came a day after Bandyopadhyay, one of Banerjee's closest aides, joined the rebel camp after meeting Shah and Yadav in Delhi. "I had a meeting with Amit Shah," Bandyopadhyay told reporters on Sunday.
"Most of the MPs and MLAs wanted this to be a successful initiative. They wanted the party to continue under the guidance of Mamata Banerjee, with her playing a role similar to that of a chief advisor and party leader. Their appeal genuinely touched me. Therefore, I decided that I could continue to stay with them," he said.
As troubles mounted for the West Bengal-based party, the TMC carried out a fresh organisational reshuffle, removing Saayoni Ghosh, Mala Roy and Bandyopadhyay from key party positions.
Earlier, rebel MP Jagadish Chandra Barma Basunia announced that the group would meet Birla on Monday and seek recognition as the "real TMC" parliamentary group.
"We have submitted the letter. On Monday, we will go to the speaker and stake our claim to form the real TMC parliamentary group. We will ask the speaker to give recognition to our claim," he said.
TMC rejects rebels' contention
The party has rejected the rebels' contention and maintained that the anti-defection law does not permit formation of a separate group within the Parliament.Rajya Sabha MP Sagarika Ghose asserted that there was "no legal provision" for a separate group and argued that MPs could face disqualification unless their original political party merged with another party under provisions of the Tenth Schedule of the Constitution.
"The crucial condition is that the original party has to merge with another party. There is no legal provision for a 'separate group' inside Parliament or an assembly while sitting on an MP or MLA seat won on the original party's name and symbol," she said in a post on X on Sunday.
"The law is clear. No separate group inside the House on the same symbol is legal. Merge with a new party or be disqualified," Ghose added.
In another post, she added, "Fair-weather 'politicians' who enjoy the fruits of collective success but abandon the collective the moment challenges arise, reveal a horrible moral and ethical deficit." She said the rebel MPs should "do the right thing: resign your seat."
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