A political storm erupted ahead of the Monsoon Session of Parliament after Opposition parties staged a symbolic walkout from the Centre’s all-party meeting on Sunday, protesting the invitation extended to leaders of the Nationalist Congress Party (India) (NCPI), which they claim includes rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) MPs whose disqualification cases are yet to be decided.
The brief walkout was led by members of the INDIA bloc, who accused the Centre of granting legitimacy to a group of lawmakers despite pending proceedings before the Lok Sabha Speaker.
Opposition registers protest during all-party meeting
Congress general secretary in charge of communications Jairam Ramesh said the Opposition parties walked out for a few minutes to register their protest against the government’s decision.
According to Ramesh, the NCPI serves as a platform for around 20 rebel TMC MPs, whose status remains under consideration as disqualification petitions are still pending before the Speaker.
The symbolic protest took place during the all-party meeting convened by the Centre ahead of the Monsoon Session, which begins on Monday.
Mahua Moitra questions invitation to NCPI
Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra said leaders from the Congress, Samajwadi Party, DMK, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), National Conference (NC), Left parties and Shiv Sena (UBT) joined the protest.
She questioned the government’s decision to invite what she described as an unrecognised political party while the official parliamentary records continue to reflect the Trinamool Congress’ strength at 28 MPs.
Moitra argued that the merger involving the rebel MPs has not been approved by the Lok Sabha Speaker and that the disqualification petitions remain unresolved. She also maintained that, following the 91st Constitutional Amendment, there is no constitutional provision for recognising a separate parliamentary bloc in such circumstances.
Other Opposition leaders echo concerns
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) MP E.T. Muhammed Basheer termed the invitation an injustice to the Trinamool Congress and said the Opposition collectively protested the move. He added that the parties would decide after consultations whether to continue participating in the meeting.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant also criticised the Speaker’s decision to recognise the merger of six Shiv Sena (UBT) MPs with the Eknath Shinde-led Shiv Sena. He alleged the recognition was inconsistent with the provisions of the Constitution and the Tenth Schedule governing defections.
Samajwadi Party raises delimitation issue
Apart from the dispute over the invitation, Samajwadi Party MP Dharmendra Yadav raised concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise.
Yadav alleged that the BJP was attempting to alter the existing democratic framework through delimitation and reiterated that the Samajwadi Party would continue opposing any such move. He also accused the government of linking the issue with women’s reservation in a manner that complicates the process.
Monsoon Session begins Monday
The Centre convened the all-party meeting to seek cooperation from political parties for the smooth functioning of Parliament and outline its legislative agenda for the Monsoon Session, which is scheduled to commence on July 20.
The Opposition’s coordinated protest has added to the political tensions ahead of the session, signalling that contentious issues are likely to dominate parliamentary proceedings in the coming weeks.
