Our Correspondent / New Delhi
The political future of 20 rebel Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MPs is set to be decided before the upcoming Monsoon Session of Parliament, with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expected to take a call on their status under the anti-defection law.
Sources said the Lok Sabha Secretariat is engaged in extensive legal consultations, examining several Supreme Court judgments and constitutional provisions relating to the Tenth Schedule before finalising its recommendations on the rebels’ plea for recognition following their merger with the newly formed National Citizens Party of India, an unrecognised registered political party.
Officials remained tight-lipped on the issue, maintaining that the Speaker alone is empowered to adjudicate petitions under the anti-defection law and determine whether the rebel MPs are entitled to recognition in the House.
The matter has posed an unprecedented challenge for the Lok Sabha Secretariat, as Parliament has never before allotted seating or recognised a parliamentary group belonging to an unrecognised registered political party. Officials are therefore carefully examining the legal and procedural implications before any decision is taken.
Meanwhile, the Secretariat has reportedly been flooded with Right to Information (RTI) applications seeking details on the proceedings related to the rebel TMC MPs, reflecting growing public interest in a case that could have significant political and parliamentary ramifications ahead of the Monsoon Session.